What This Bill Does
This bill names a street in Washington, D.C. after Oswaldo Payá Sardinas, a Cuban political activist and dissident. The bill designates the area between two street intersections on 16th Street Northwest as "Oswaldo Payá Way" and requires the District of Columbia to place street signs at those locations.
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Who It Affects
The District of Columbia government (which must create and place street signs)
Residents and visitors in Washington, D.C.
Any federal agency that references maps, documents or records containing the old street designation
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Key Provisions
- The area between the intersections of 16th Street Northwest and Fuller Street Northwest and 16th Street Northwest and Euclid Street Northwest in Washington, D.C. shall be known as "Oswaldo Payá Way" (Sec. 2(a)(1))
- The address 2630 16th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. shall be redesignated as 2630 Oswaldo Payá Way (Sec. 2(b)(1))
- The District of Columbia shall construct two street signs containing the phrase "Oswaldo Payá Way" and place them immediately above existing signs at the two named intersections (Sec. 2(c))
- The street signs shall be similar in design to the signs the District of Columbia uses to designate Metro station locations (Sec. 2(c)(3))
- Any reference to the old street designation in any federal law, map, regulation, document or record shall be considered a reference to Oswaldo Payá Way (Sec. 2(a)(2) and 2(b)(2))
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What Changes
A street segment in Washington, D.C. and an address (2630 16th Street Northwest) receive a new official name: "Oswaldo Payá Way." Federal records and documents must reflect this name change. Two new street signs must be installed at specific intersections.
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Important Definitions
None defined in the bill text.
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I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1239
To designate the area between the intersections of 16th Street Northwest
and Fuller Street Northwest and 16th Street Northwest and Euclid
Street Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia, as ‘‘Oswaldo
Paya´ Way’’.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 28, 2023
Mr. DIAZ-BALART (for himself, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. GIMENEZ,
Ms. SALAZAR, and Ms. MALLIOTAKIS) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability
A BILL
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-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
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Congress finds that—
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(1) the revolution led by Fidel Castro in Cuba
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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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•HR 1239 IH
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-
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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) Cuba’s official investigation into the crash
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has been demonstrated to be compromised, and the
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Cuban regime has blocked all efforts to conduct a
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credible and independent investigation into the
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crash, leaving the circumstances of the death of
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Oswaldo Paya´ unknown;
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(6) opposition by Oswaldo Paya´ to the Com-
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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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•HR 1239 IH
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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from the National Democratic Institute for Inter-
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national Affairs in 2003 and was nominated for the
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Nobel Peace Prize by former Czech President
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Va1clav Havel in 2005;
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•HR 1239 IH
(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 Street
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Northwest and 16th Street Northwest and Euclid
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Street Northwest in Washington, District of Colum-
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bia, shall be known and designated as ‘‘Oswaldo
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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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•HR 1239 IH
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 Columbia,
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shall be redesignated as 2630 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 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, District
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of Columbia; and
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(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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Æ
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