I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 579
To lift the trade embargo on Cuba, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 2, 2005
Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on International Relations, and in addition to the Committees on Ways 
and Means, Energy and Commerce, the Judiciary, Financial Services, 
Government Reform, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To lift the trade embargo on Cuba, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 
1. 
REMOVAL 
OF 
PROVISIONS 
RESTRICTING 
TRADE AND OTHER RELATIONS WITH CUBA. 
(a) 
AUTHORITY
FOR
EMBARGO
AND
SUGAR 
QUOTA.—Section 620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2370(a)) is repealed. 
(b) TRADING WITH THE ENEMY ACT.—The authori-
ties conferred upon the President by section 5(b) of the 
Trading with the Enemy Act, which were being exercised
with respect to Cuba on July 1, 1977, as a result of a 
national emergency declared by the President before that 
date, and are being exercised on the day before the effec-
tive date of this Act, may not be exercised on or after 
such effective date with respect to Cuba. Any regulations 
in effect on the day before such effective date pursuant 
to the exercise of such authorities, shall cease to be effec-
tive on such date. 
(c) EXERCISE OF AUTHORITIES UNDER OTHER PRO-
VISIONS OF LAW.—
(1) REMOVAL OF PROHIBITIONS.—Any prohibi-
tion on exports to Cuba that is in effect on the day 
before the effective date of this Act under the Ex-
port Administration Act of 1979 shall cease to be ef-
fective on such effective date. 
(2) AUTHORITY FOR NEW RESTRICTIONS.—The 
President may, on and after the effective date of this 
Act—
(A) impose export controls with respect to 
Cuba under section 5, 6(j), 6(l), or 6(m) of the 
Export Administration Act of 1979 (as contin-
ued in effect under the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act), and 
(B) exercise the authorities he has under 
the International Emergency Economic Powers
Act with respect to Cuba pursuant to a declara-
tion of national emergency required by that Act 
that is made on account of an unusual and ex-
traordinary threat, that did not exist before the 
date of the enactment of this Act, to the na-
tional security, foreign policy, or economy of the 
United States. 
(d) CUBAN DEMOCRACY ACT.—The Cuban Democ-
racy Act of 1992 (22 U.S.C. 6001 et seq.) is repealed. 
(e) REPEAL OF CUBAN LIBERTY AND DEMOCRATIC 
SOLIDARITY (LIBERTAD) ACT OF 1996.—
(1) REPEAL.—The Cuban Liberty and Demo-
cratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 is re-
pealed. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(A) Section 
498A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2295a) is amended—
(i) in subsection (a)(11), by striking ‘‘and 
intelligence facilities, including the military and 
intelligence facilities at Lourdes and Cien-
fuegos,’’ and inserting ‘‘facilities,’’; 
(ii) in subsection (b)—
(I) in paragraph (4), by adding ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(II) by striking paragraph (5); and
(III) by redesignating paragraph (6) 
as paragraph (5); and 
(iii) by striking subsection (d). 
(B) Section 498B(k) of the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295b(k)) is amended by 
striking paragraphs (3) and (4). 
(C) Section 1611 of title 28, United States 
Code, is amended by striking subsection (c). 
(D) Sections 514 and 515 of the International 
Claims Settlement Act of 1949 (22 U.S.C. 1643l 
and 1643m) are repealed. 
(f) TRADE SANCTIONS REFORM AND EXPORT EN-
HANCEMENT ACT OF 2000.—The Trade Sanctions Re-
form and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
7201 et seq.) is amended—
(1) in section 906(a)(1)—
(A) by striking ‘‘Cuba,’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘(other than Cuba)’’ after 
‘‘to the government of a country’’; 
(2) in section 908—
(A) by striking subsection (b); 
(B) in subsection (a)—
(i) by striking ‘‘PROHIBITION’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—
’’ and inserting ‘‘IN GENERAL.—’’;
(ii) by striking ‘‘for exports to Cuba 
or’’; 
(iii) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(iv) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
subsection (b) (and conforming the margin 
accordingly); and 
(C) in subsection (b) (as redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
section (a)’’; 
(3) by striking section 909; and 
(4) by striking section 910. 
(g) REPEAL OF PROHIBITION ON TRANSACTIONS OR 
PAYMENTS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN UNITED STATES 
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.—Section 211 of the Depart-
ment of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations 
Act, 1999 (as contained in section 101(b) of division A 
of Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat. 2681–88) is repealed. 
(h) TERMINATION
OF DENIAL
OF FOREIGN TAX 
CREDIT WITH RESPECT TO CUBA.—Subparagraph (A) of 
section 901(j)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(relating to denial of foreign tax credit, etc., with respect 
to certain foreign countries) is amended by adding at the 
end thereof the following new flush sentence: ‘‘Notwith-
standing the preceding sentence, this subsection shall not
apply to Cuba after the date which is 60 days after the 
date of the enactment of this sentence.’’. 
(i) SUGAR QUOTA PROHIBITION UNDER FOOD SECU-
RITY ACT OF 1985.—Section 902(c) of the Food Security 
Act of 1985 is repealed. 
SEC. 2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT AND FACILI-
TIES. 
Any common carrier within the meaning of section 
3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153) 
is authorized to install, maintain, and repair telecommuni-
cations equipment and facilities in Cuba, and otherwise 
provide telecommunications services between the United 
States and Cuba. The authority of this section includes 
the authority to upgrade facilities and equipment. 
SEC. 3. TRAVEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Travel to and from Cuba by indi-
viduals who are citizens or residents of the United States, 
and any transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, 
may not be regulated or prohibited if such travel would 
be lawful in the United States. 
(b) TRANSACTIONS INCIDENT
TO TRAVEL.—Any 
transactions ordinarily incident to travel which may not 
be regulated or prohibited under subsection (a) include, 
but are not limited to—
(1) transactions ordinarily incident to travel or 
maintenance in Cuba; and 
(2) normal banking transactions involving for-
eign currency drafts, traveler’s checks, or other ne-
gotiable instruments incident to such travel. 
SEC. 4. DIRECT MAIL DELIVERY TO CUBA. 
The United States Postal Service shall take such ac-
tions as are necessary to provide direct mail service to and 
from Cuba, including, in the absence of common carrier 
service between the 2 countries, the use of charter pro-
viders. 
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON FEDERAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) PROHIBITION.—No Federal funds may be used 
to provide any assistance to Cuba. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of subsection (a)—
(1) the term ‘‘assistance to Cuba’’ includes, but 
is not limited to—
(A) assistance to or for the benefit of Cuba 
that is provided by grant, commercial sale, 
guaranty, or insurance, or by any other means 
on terms more favorable than that generally 
available in the applicable market, whether in 
the form of a loan, lease, credit, or a reserve, 
including, but not limited to—
(i) insurance, financing, extensions of 
credit, or participation in extensions of 
credit provided by the Export-Import Bank 
of the United States for exports to or im-
ports from Cuba; 
(ii) insurance, reinsurance, financing, 
or equity investment provided by the Over-
seas Private Investment Corporation for 
projects in Cuba; 
(iii) any export credit, credit guar-
anty, bonus, or other payment carried out 
through the Commodity Credit Corporation 
in support of export sales of agricultural 
commodities to Cuba; 
(iv) assistance under any provision of 
the Agricultural Trade and Development 
Assistance Act of 1954 to, or in support 
of, export sales of agricultural commodities 
to, Cuba; 
(v) financing or other assistance 
under the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 
in support of export sales of agricultural 
commodities to Cuba; and 
(vi) any loan, credit, or other financ-
ing provided by any department or agency
of the United States to any person for the 
purpose of financing transactions involving 
confiscated property (within the meaning 
of section 4 of the Cuban Liberty and 
Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act 
of 1996), as in effect on the day before the 
date of the enactment of this Act); and 
(B) an exchange, reduction, or forgiveness 
of Cuban debt owed in return for a grant of an 
equity interest in a property, investment, or op-
eration of the Government of Cuba (including 
the government of any political subdivision of 
Cuba, and any agency or instrumentality of the 
Government of Cuba) or of a Cuban national; 
and 
(2) the term ‘‘agency or instrumentality of the 
Government of Cuba’’ means an agency or instru-
mentality of a foreign state as defined in section 
1603(b) of title 28, United States Code, with each 
reference in such section to ‘‘a foreign state’’ 
deemed to be a reference to Cuba.