House Passes Bill to Ease Cuba Travel Restrictions

Under a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, travel restrictions may be eased for Cuban Americans wishing to visit Cuba.

Current rules allow travel to Cuba only once every three years for visits to close family members. Visitors can stay up to 14 days and are not permitted to spend more than $50 a day.

The new rules would lift the 14-day time limit, allow visits to relatives once a year and increase the spending limit to $170 a day. Additionally, the legislation would allow for general licenses permitting travel to Cuba for marketing and selling agricultural products.

These changes are part of a larger spending bill that must now pass in the Senate before becoming law. The matter is expected to be taken up by the Senate as soon as Friday, but its passing is threatened by opposition.

Even though the provision does not lift the overall embargo against Cuba, it will allow the Latin American nation to directly pay U.S. food and medicine companies for their imports, replacing the cash-in-advance rules which were imposed in 2005 under the Bush administration.

Last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration wants to ease trade and travel restrictions on Cuba. She also pledged to review the U.S. policy towards this nation.