What This Bill Does
This bill names a street in Washington, D.C. after Oswaldo Payá, a Cuban political dissident and activist. The law designates the area on 16th Street, Northwest between Fuller Street and Euclid Street as "Oswaldo Payá Way" to honor his commitment to democratic freedoms and human rights.
Who It Affects
The District of Columbia government and anyone using official maps, regulations, documents or records that reference the renamed street or its address.
Key Provisions
- The street area between the intersections of 16th Street, Northwest and Fuller Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest and Euclid Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C. becomes known as "Oswaldo Payá Way" (Sec. 2(a)(1))
- The address 2630 16th Street, Northwest changes to 2630 Oswaldo Payá Way (Sec. 2(b)(1))
- The District of Columbia must construct two street signs containing the phrase "Oswaldo Payá Way" placed immediately above existing signs at the two named intersections (Sec. 2(c)(1) and (2))
- The new signs must have a similar design to signs the District of Columbia uses to designate Metro station locations (Sec. 2(c)(3))
- Any reference to the old street name in U.S. laws, maps, regulations, documents or records automatically becomes a reference to "Oswaldo Payá Way" (Sec. 2(a)(2) and (b)(2))
What Changes
The official street name changes from 16th Street, Northwest to "Oswaldo Payá Way" for the area between Fuller Street and Euclid Street. The address 2630 16th Street, Northwest becomes 2630 Oswaldo Payá Way. Two new street signs appear at the specified intersections.
Important Definitions
None defined in bill text.
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 376
AN ACT
To designate the area between the intersections of 16th
Street, Northwest and Fuller Street, Northwest and 16th
Street, Northwest and Euclid Street, Northwest in Wash-
ington, District of Columbia, as ‘‘Oswaldo Paya´ Way’’.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
2
† S 376 ES
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
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Congress finds that—
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(1) the revolution led by Fidel Castro in Cuba
3
in 1959 started 64 years of an ongoing dictatorship,
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systemic human rights abuses, and a lack of basic
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freedom of press, religion, assembly, and association
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that continue to this day under the Communist rule
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of Rau´l Castro and his successor, Miguel Dı´az-
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Canel;
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(2) Oswaldo Paya´ Sardin˜as was a Cuban polit-
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ical dissident and activist dedicated to promoting
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democratic freedoms and human rights in Cuba;
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(3) the Communist Party of Cuba has always
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viewed individuals with a commitment to democracy
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and freedom as a threat to the existence of the Com-
15
munist Party of Cuba;
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(4) on July 22, 2012, a violent car crash, wide-
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ly believed to have been carried out by the Castro re-
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gime, took the lives of Oswaldo Paya´ and Harold
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Cepero, another democratic activist;
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(5) the official investigation conducted by the
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Cuban regime into the crash has been demonstrated
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to be compromised, and the Cuban regime has
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blocked all efforts to conduct a credible and inde-
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pendent investigation into the crash, leaving the cir-
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cumstances of the death of Oswaldo Paya´ unknown;
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† S 376 ES
(6) opposition by Oswaldo Paya´ to the Com-
1
munist Party of Cuba began at a young age, when
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he refused to become a member of the Young Com-
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munist League as a primary school student, and
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continued through high school, when he publicly
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criticized the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the So-
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viet Union;
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(7) the Communist Party of Cuba responded to
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the opposition by Oswaldo Paya´ to the invasion of
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Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union by sending
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Oswaldo Paya´ to a labor camp for 3 years;
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(8) Oswaldo Paya´ forewent a chance to escape
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Cuba in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, deciding instead to
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continue the fight for democracy in Cuba, saying,
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‘‘This is what I am supposed to be, this is what I
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have to do.’’;
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(9) by creating the Varela Project in 1998,
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Oswaldo Paya´ demonstrated his staunch commit-
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ment to peacefully advocating for freedom of speech
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and freedom of assembly for his fellow Cubans;
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(10) in recognition of his determination for po-
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litical reforms through peaceful protests, Oswaldo
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Paya´ was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom
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of Thought by the European Parliament in 2002
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and the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award
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4
† S 376 ES
from the National Democratic Institute for Inter-
1
national Affairs in 2003 and was nominated for the
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Nobel Peace Prize by former Czech President Va´clav
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Havel in 2005;
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(11) on April 11, 2018, the Senate unanimously
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passed S. Res. 224, recognizing the sixth anniver-
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sary of the death of Oswaldo Paya´ Sardin˜as, com-
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memorating his legacy and commitment to demo-
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cratic values and principles, and calling on the
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Cuban Government to allow an impartial, third-
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party investigation into the circumstances sur-
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rounding his death; and
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(12) renaming the street in front of the Em-
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bassy of Cuba in the District of Columbia after
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Oswaldo Paya´ serves as an expression of solidarity
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between the people of the United States and the peo-
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ple of Cuba, who are engaged in a long, nonviolent
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struggle for fundamental human rights.
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SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF OSWALDO PAYA´ WAY.
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(a) DESIGNATION OF WAY.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The area between the inter-
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sections of 16th Street, Northwest and Fuller
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Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest and
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Euclid Street, Northwest in Washington, District of
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5
† S 376 ES
Columbia, shall be known and designated as
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‘‘Oswaldo Paya´ Way’’.
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(2) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law,
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map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of
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the United States to the area referred to in para-
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graph (1) shall be deemed to be a reference to
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Oswaldo Paya´ Way.
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(b) DESIGNATION OF ADDRESS.—
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(1) DESIGNATION.—The address of 2630 16th
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Street, Northwest, Washington, District of Colum-
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bia, shall be redesignated as 2630 Oswaldo Paya´
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Way.
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(2) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law,
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map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of
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the United States to the address referred to in para-
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graph (1) shall be deemed to be a reference to 2630
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Oswaldo Paya´ Way.
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(c) SIGNS.—The District of Columbia shall construct
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2 street signs that shall—
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(1) contain the phrase ‘‘Oswaldo Paya´ Way’’;
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(2) be placed immediately above existing signs
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at the intersections of 16th Street, Northwest and
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Fuller Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest
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and Euclid Street, Northwest in Washington, Dis-
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trict of Columbia; and
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† S 376 ES
(3) be similar in design to the signs used by the
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District of Columbia to designate the location of
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Metro stations.
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Passed the Senate June 13, 2023.
Attest:
Secretary.
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 376
AN ACT
To designate the area between the intersections of
16th Street, Northwest and Fuller Street, North-
west and 16th Street, Northwest and Euclid
Street, Northwest in Washington, District of Co-
lumbia, as ‘‘Oswaldo Paya´ Way’’.