WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) today joined a bipartisan group of colleagues to introduce legislation that would end restrictions on travel to Cuba unfairly imposed on American citizens and legal residents. 

Boozman joined with Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to introduce the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 which aims to legislatively address the administration’s proposal to loosen travel restrictions to Cuba and remove restrictions on banking transactions incidental to travel.

 “I really do believe that the way you change the world is through personal relationships. If we are serious about bringing real change to Cuba, we need to expose the Cuban people to our democratic ideals. That clearly hasn’t been accomplished with this travel ban in place. It’s outdated, inconsistent and lifting it would be a good first step toward overall reform,” Boozman said. 

Since his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Boozman has been supportive of efforts to end the embargo of U.S. agriculture exports to Cuba, relax the travel ban and loosen monetary restrictions. He has advocated policy changes to create new opportunities for Arkansas’s farmers and small businesses while pushing for human rights and democratic change in Cuba. 

Last month, the administration announced a series of proposed reforms related to Cuba, many of which, including the lifting of travel restrictions, require Congressional approval. 

Representatives Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) are introducing a companion bill in the House next week.