Baseball Diplomacy Act
Bill: H.R.198 | Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve (D-TN)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Baseball Diplomacy Act
This bill waives various embargo and immigration restrictions in order to allow Cuban nationals to enter the United States to play organized professional baseball.
U.S. embargo authority may not regulate or prohibit various transactions by or on behalf of a Cuban national entering to play baseball, nor may the individual be prohibited from returning to Cuba with the earnings made from playing professional baseball. The President's authority to bar an alien whose entry is deemed to be detrimental to U.S. interests may not be used to deny a visa to a Cuban national entering to play baseball.
An individual entering to play baseball may obtain a visa to remain in the United States only for the duration of the baseball season. The visa need not be renewed for reentry into the United States during the term of a contract between the individual and the team for which the individual played in the preceding season.


To waive certain prohibitions with respect to nationals of Cuba coming 
     to the United States to play organized professional baseball.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Baseball Diplomacy Act''.

SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.

    (a) Restriction on Embargo Authority.--The authorities of section 
620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, those authorities under 
section 5(b) of the Trading with the Enemy Act that were being 
exercised with respect to Cuba on July 1, 1977, as a result of a 
national emergency declared before that date, and are being exercised 
on the date of the enactment of this Act, and the authorities of 
section 203 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act may not 
be exercised to regulate or prohibit--
            (1) those transactions permitted under section 515.571 of 
        title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, by or on behalf of a 
        Cuban national who enters the United States from Cuba on a visa 
        issued under section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b) of the Immigration 
        and Nationality Act for the purpose of playing organized 
        professional baseball; and
            (2) a Cuban national described in paragraph (1) from 
        returning to Cuba with the earnings made in playing organized 
        professional baseball.
    (b) Restriction on Immigration Authority.--The authority contained 
in section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act may not be 
used to deny a visa described in subsection (a)(1) to a Cuban national 
for the purpose of playing organized professional baseball.
    (c) Inapplicability of Other Restrictions.--This section applies 
notwithstanding section 102(h) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic 
Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.

SEC. 3. DURATION OF VISA.

    A visa described in section 2(a)(1)--
            (1) shall permit the alien to whom the visa is issued to 
        remain in the United States only for the duration of the 
        baseball season; and
            (2) need not be renewed for subsequent entries into the 
        United States for the duration of a valid contract entered into 
        between the alien and the professional baseball team with which 
        the alien played in the preceding baseball season.
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