I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 525 
To modify the prohibition on United States assistance and financing for 
certain exports to Cuba under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export 
Enhancement Act of 2000, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 13, 2017 
Mr. CRAWFORD (for himself, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. POE of 
Texas, Mr. COMER, Ms. LEE, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. 
FARENTHOLD, Mr. THOMPSON
of Mississippi, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. 
EMMER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. HARPER, Mr. 
WESTERMAN, Mr. ROKITA, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. SMITH of Missouri, Mr. 
RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. 
THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. BANKS of Indiana, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. 
BEYER, and Mr. JONES) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees 
on Financial Services, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To modify the prohibition on United States assistance and 
financing for certain exports to Cuba under the Trade 
Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:21 Jan 27, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H525.IH
H525
smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cuba Agricultural Ex-
ports Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United States has a long history of 
providing safe and reliable exports. Close proximity 
to Cuba lends itself to low transportation costs for 
United States goods exported to Cuba. The United 
States is geographically poised to be a significant 
trading partner in agricultural commodities. 
(2) Cuba imports approximately 80 percent of 
its food, with global agricultural exports to Cuba 
doubling over the past decade to $1,900,000,000. 
(3) In 2005, the United States Department of 
the Treasury published a final rule narrowing the 
definition of ‘‘cash in advance’’ for trading with 
Cuba, requiring that cash payments must be made 
before United States products leave United States 
ports, rather than the more customary payment 
upon delivery. United States firms are precluded 
from offering credit to ALIMPORT, a state-owned 
and state-controlled entity that makes all decisions 
regarding United States exports to the Cuban mar-
ket, resulting in declining United States agricultural 
exports to Cuba. Notably, rice exports fell from a 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:21 Jan 27, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H525.IH
H525
smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
value of $64,000,000 in 2004 to essentially $0 in 
2009 and subsequent years. 
(4) Recent action by the Obama administration 
reversed that change to the definition of cash in ad-
vance, but United States agricultural exporters are 
still not permitted to extend credit to Cuban buyers, 
a key disadvantage relative to other exporting coun-
tries. 
(5) In addition, there is no opportunity for 
United States agricultural businesses to trade di-
rectly with the Cuban people and there is no Cuban 
market; United States businesses have only one 
venue to trade with Cuba and that is through 
ALIMPORT, the state-owned and state-controlled 
entity described in paragraph (3). 
(6) Despite these restrictions, the United States 
has been the largest exporter of agricultural goods 
to Cuba over the last decade. However, the United 
States slipped to being the second leading exporter 
of agricultural goods to Cuba in 2013 and the third 
leading exporter of agricultural goods to Cuba in 
2014. 
(7) While trade opportunities exist, Cuba re-
mains an undemocratic autocracy that oppresses its 
own people and restricts freedom. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:21 Jan 27, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H525.IH
H525
smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
(8) With these cautionary factors in mind, it is 
important to provide United States farmers and 
ranchers additional opportunities to benefit from 
trade with Cuba. 
SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF PROHIBITION ON UNITED 
STATES ASSISTANCE AND FINANCING FOR 
CERTAIN EXPORTS TO CUBA UNDER THE 
TRADE SANCTIONS REFORM AND EXPORT EN-
HANCEMENT ACT OF 2000. 
Section 908 of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Ex-
port Enhancement Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7207) is 
amended as follows: 
(1) In the section heading, by striking ‘‘AND 
FINANCING’’. 
(2) In subsection (a), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(4) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), paragraph (1) shall not apply with 
respect to— 
‘‘(i) exports to Cuba under section 
202 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 
(7 U.S.C. 5622), section 203 of the Agri-
cultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:21 Jan 27, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H525.IH
H525
smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
5623), or section 702 of the Agricultural 
Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5722); or 
‘‘(ii) any obligation or expenditure of 
funds to promote trade with Cuba by Fed-
eral commodity promotion programs estab-
lished in accordance with a commodity pro-
motion law, as defined by section 501(a) of 
the Federal Agriculture Improvement and 
Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7401(a)). 
‘‘(B) RESTRICTION
ON
CERTAIN
RECIPI-
ENTS.—The exceptions under subparagraph (A) 
shall not apply if the recipient of the United 
States assistance would be an entity controlled 
by the Government of Cuba, including the Rev-
olutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, the Ministry 
of the Interior of Cuba, and any subdivision of 
either such governmental entity.’’. 
(3) In subsection (b), to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) FINANCING OF SALES OF AGRICULTURAL COM-
MODITIES TO CUBA.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A person subject to the ju-
risdiction of the United States may provide payment 
or financing for sales of agricultural commodities to 
Cuba or to an individual or entity in Cuba. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:21 Jan 27, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H525.IH
H525
smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS