by Paulo Gusmao
on January 09, 2009
Invitation to Cuba Consultation 2009, March 5 and 6, in Washington DC
Registration deadline has passed. Please contact Paulo Gusmao at pgusmao @ lawg.org or 202.546.7010 if you have any questions.
To fax or mail the registration form click here (DOC) or here (PDF).
A representative group of the Cuba Steering Committee (an ad hoc
working group of more than two dozen organizations and individuals
active on Cuba policy issues ) invites you to participate in this year's
Cuba Consultation day.
Since 1995,
there have been more than a dozen "Cuba Consultations," events at
which a broad spectrum of individuals and groups who support change in
U.S. policy toward Cuba have gathered together to share points of view
and get a sense of the challenges and opportunities that confront us in
the Congress, with the administration, and in public opinion.
The consultation is an opportunity for people who care about Cuba and
changing U.S. policy to come together to discuss an issue which unites
all sectors - travel. From academics to farmers, Cuban Americans to
religious organizations, and from travel service providers to
performing artists to curious citizens, everyone is suffering under
U.S. restrictions.
In recent years, the Cuba Consultation focused attention on the
situation in the U.S. Congress, and the possibilities of legislative
action. This year we are presented with our best opportunity in years
to press for a transformational shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba: the
greatest possible reduction in U.S. economic sanctions, including the
travel restrictions that block citizen contact, and more diplomatic
engagement with Cuba.
A
key part of this will be efforts to achieve bold action by the Congress
to end the ban on travel to Cuba for all Americans. In the House of
Representatives, legislation to end the travel ban has already been
introduced, HR 874. At the consultation, we will talk about how to work
with and move the Congress on the travel issue.
A new administration has come to Washington, and a new environment
exists. A review of U.S.-Cuba policy is currently underway in the
administration, and anticipation is high that the President will issue
an executive order in the coming weeks. Ending
the ban on travel for Cuban Americans is a good first step, but only a
first step. Our message must be loud and clear. Congress must act to
allow travel for all. This is an exciting and strategic moment to make our voices heard.
We encourage you to register for the consultation (see below) and begin now making appointments with your members of Congress for Friday, March 6.
Congress is in session that day and will be holding votes. Your members
will be in Washington, so ask for a moment of their time, in addition
to meeting with their Foreign Policy Aides. We can help you with phone
numbers, staff names, etc., if you ask. We will also provide a "How to"
session, with coffee and bagels, the morning of the 6th for those who
want hints on how to conduct a meeting with staff and members.
(As you plan your travel, you might keep in mind that in previous years
the Cuban Interests Section has sometimes hosted its own event during
or right after the consultation. We anticipate that they might host a
reception on the evening of the 6th after the close of our
consultation. This has not yet been confirmed, but we want you to be
aware of this possibility when you make your travel plans.)
The Cuba Consultation 2009 registration fee is a modest $40 per person,
to help us cover lunch, materials, venue, etc. There is a space on the
registration form for your credit card information, or you may write a
check to LAWG to attach to your snail mail registration or to give us
upon arrival at the consultation.
If you have any further questions, contact Paulo Gusmao/LAWG, 202.546.7010,
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; or Lilia Lopez/WOLA, 202.797.2171,
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.
Cuba Consultation will take place at Trinity University in Washington DC. The address is 125 Michigan Ave, NE, Washington DC 20017. For a map and directions click here.
For a brief hotel guide click here (DOC).
*Geoff Thale, Lilia Lopez, Angelica Salazar, and Ashley Morse - Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
*Mavis Anderson and Paulo Gusmao - Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
*Wayne Smith - Center for International Policy (CIP)
*Joe Perez - Cuba Travel Services
*Bob Guild - Marazul Charters, Inc.
*Silvia Wilhelm - Puentes Cubanos
*Sandra Levinson - Center for Cuban Studies
*Randy Poindexter - FOCUS (Friends of Cuba)
*Kirsten Moller - Global Exchange
*Sarah Stephens and Collin Laverty - Center for Democracy in the Americas
*Delvis Fernandez and Luis Rumbaut - Cuban American Alliance Education Fund (CAAEF)
*Melinda St. Louis - Witness for Peace
*Jan Strout - U.S. Women & Cuba Collaboration
*Cindy Domingo - Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
*Lisa Valanti - US-CUBA Sister Cities Association
*John McAuliff - Fund for Reconciliation and Development
*Jim Vondracek, Gary Cozette, Marilyn McKenna, and Danielle Wegman - Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
*Louis Head - U.S.-Cuba Cultural Exchange
*Marty Shupack - Church World Service
*Ricardo Gonzalez - Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association
*Bob Schwartz - Disarm Education Fund
*Sandra Edhlund - Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba
*Tony Zamora and Elena Freyre - ForNorm
*Marjorie Cohn and Art Heitzer - National Lawyer's Guild
Read more »
by Mavis Anderson
on November 01, 2008
Love, Loss, and Longing: The Impact of U.S. Travel Policies on Cuban-American Families (see the publication here) continues to raise awareness about the ban on travel to Cuba. Between March and November, 2008, LAWG Education Fund and the Washington Office on Latin America conducted educational sessions on ending the travel ban and showcased our publication in states as widespread as Virginia, Wisconsin, Massachusetts (two cities), Ohio (three cities), and California (four cities). We appeared on two cable television networks and several radio programs. The book is an extraordinary education and advocacy tool that connects your heart with your understanding of the false rationale behind the travel ban.
Contact us at
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if you are interested in setting up a forum and book party in your community. Listen to an interview on Pacifica Radio with Mavis Anderson and author Dr. Jeanne Lemkau from a recent book tour in California here
We are hopeful that, under a new administration, compassion will win out and the ban on family travel and remittances will quickly end. Then our task remains to re-claim the right of all Americans to travel freely to Cuba to engage with our Cuban neighbors. Help us in this task by signing up for Cuba policy e-mail alerts.
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by Paulo Gusmao
on November 24, 2008
Now that a new President and a new Congress have been elected, you can take action that will help change U.S. policy toward Cuba.
Read more »
by Paulo Gusmao
on September 18, 2008
Senator Dodd's (D-CT) amendment calling for a temporary lifting of restrictions in response to damages caused by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in August 2008.
See a copy of the amendment S.3001 (PDF)
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by Paulo Gusmao
on November 10, 2008
November 4th marked an historical change for the United States of America. President-elect Barack Obama represents CHANGE on many levels, and many people expect CHANGE in a great many things: the economy, two wars, a planet in peril, etc . . . you know the list by now.
Read more »
by Paulo Gusmao
on September 18, 2008
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6962
To facilitate the provision of humanitarian relief to Cuba.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 18, 2008
Mr. DELAHUNT (for himself, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. BERMAN, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr.
MCGOVERN, Mr. LAHOOD, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Mr. PAYNE, Mr.
PAUL, Mr. FARR, Ms. HARMAN, and Mr. MEEKS of New York) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To facilitate the provision of humanitarian relief to Cuba.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Humanitarian Relief to Cuba Act'.
(b) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Hurricane Gustav, which struck Cuba on September 1,
2008, was the worst hurricane to hit the island of Cuba in over 50
years. The Category Four storm displaced over 400,000 Cubans and
damaged or destroyed 130,000 homes and caused severe damage to
infrastructure.
(2) Hurricane Ike, which made landfall on Cuba on
September 7, 2008, forced the evacuation of over 2,500,000 Cubans,
damaged an additional 100,000 structures, and damaged local
infrastructure.
(3) The number of Cubans left homeless is expected to
reach 100,000, and the total economic losses of Hurricanes Gustav and
Ike are expected to reach upwards of $10,000,000,000, with serious
damage done to the island's agricultural industry.
(4) In the wake of past natural disasters, the United
States eased restrictions to mobilize the generous spirit of many
thousands of Americans by allowing humanitarian aid originating from
the United States to be transported directly to Cuba to the benefit of
the Cuban people.
(5) Allowing the people of the United States to assist
the Cuban people in reclaiming their lives and livelihoods following a
major natural disaster just 90 miles from the United States is an
important aspect of United States national security and defense policy.
SEC. 2. EASING OF RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL TO CUBA FOR A PERIOD OF 180 DAYS.
(1) FREEDOM OF TRAVEL FOR UNITED STATES CITIZENS AND
CERTAIN OTHER PERSONS TO VISIT FAMILY MEMBERS IN CUBA- For the 180-day
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the
President may not prohibit or regulate, directly or indirectly--
(A) travel to or from Cuba by United States
citizens or any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
with family currently residing in Cuba; or
(B) any of the transactions incident to such travel that are described in paragraph (2).
(2) TRANSACTIONS INCIDENT TO TRAVEL- The transactions referred to in paragraph (1) are--
(A) any transaction ordinarily incidental to travel
to or from Cuba, including the importation into Cuba or the United
States of accompanied baggage for personal or family use only;
(B) any transaction ordinarily incident to travel
to or maintenance within Cuba, including the payment of living expenses
and the acquisition of goods or services for personal and family use
only; and
(C) any transaction ordinarily incident to the
arrangement, promotion, or facilitation of scheduled and nonscheduled
travel to, from, or within Cuba, including lodging and meals in an
amount not to exceed the per diem amount authorized under chapter 57 of
title 5, United States Code.
(b) Supersedes Other Provisions- This section supersedes
any other provision of law, including section 102(h) of the Cuban
Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (22 U.S.C.
6032(h)).
(c) Effective Date- This section applies to actions taken
by the President before the date of the enactment of this Act that are
in effect on such date and to actions taken on or after such date
during the 180-day period beginning on such date of enactment.
SEC. 3. EASING RESTRICTIONS ON REMITTANCES FOR A PERIOD OF 180 DAYS.
(a) In General- Except as provided in subsection (b), for
the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of the Treasury may not limit the amount of remittances
to Cuba that may be made by any person who is subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States, and the Secretary shall rescind, for
such 180-day period, all regulations in effect on the date of enactment
of this Act that so limit the amount of those remittances.
(b) Statutory Construction- Nothing in subsection (a) may
be construed to prohibit the prosecution or conviction of any person
committing an offense described in section 1956 of title 18, United
States Code (relating to the laundering of monetary instruments), or
section 1957 of such title (relating to engaging in monetary
transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity).
SEC. 4. EASING RESTRICTIONS ON GIFT OR RELIEF PACKAGES FOR 180 DAYS.
(a) In General- Except as provided in subsection (d), for
the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act,
the President may not limit the size, quantity or frequency, or the
carrying, transporting or shipping of personal gift items and relief
supplies (not for sale or resale) that are eligible to be shipped
through existing or new mechanisms established expressly for the
delivery of such packages. Such items and supplies may be sent to Cuba
by any person who is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
and the President shall rescind, for such 180-day period, all
regulations in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act that so
limit such items.
(b) Personal Gift Items- For purposes of this section, the
term `personal gift items' includes goods intended to improve the daily
life of the Cuban people, including clothing, medication, foodstuffs,
personal hygiene items, and other daily necessities.
(c) Relief Supplies- For the purposes of this section, the
term `relief supplies' means any item intended to provide temporary or
permanent comfort or shelter to hurricane victims in Cuba, or intended
to facilitate repairs to personal dwellings in Cuba damaged during the
2008 hurricane season.
(d) Statutory Construction- Nothing in subsection (a) may
be construed to prohibit the prosecution or conviction of any person
committing an offense described in section 1956 of title 18, United
States Code (relating to the laundering of monetary instruments), or
section 1957 of such title (relating to engaging in monetary
transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity).
END
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