HR 2415 Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.
To waive certain prohibitions with respect to nationals of Cuba coming to the United States to play organized professional baseball.
Summary
This bill allows Cuban nationals to enter the United States on temporary work visas to play organized professional baseball, waiving current embargo and sanctions restrictions. Cuban baseball players would be permitted to work for US professional baseball teams for the duration of a season and return to Cuba with their earnings. The visa would not require annual renewal if the player remains under the same team contract. The bill removes restrictions under trade embargo authorities and immigration laws currently preventing Cuban athletes from working in the US.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN)
Actions (2)
- Mar 27, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Mar 27, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 27, 2025
Mr. Cohen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
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. <all>
Comments