US judge temporarily blocks new Cuban travel law

: A federal justice on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new Sunshine State law that would have got imposed a stiff chemical bond and other limitations on traveling federal agencies and charter companies booking trips to Cuba.

Lawyers for the companies argued that the measurement appeared to pre-empt federal law and could set the federal agencies out of business. The law, which was to take consequence Tuesday, would coerce federal agencies to set up a $250,000 state chemical bond if they book circuits to Cuba. Other traveling federal agencies would pay just $25,000.

"This law makes nil to assist the consumer or the state," the companies' attorney, Steven Weinger, said. "These are concern people whose supports are threatened because of the burdensome chemical bond conditions."

Weinger said the law also harms the companies because they would have got to let on the name calling of people with whom they make concern with and their trade secrets.

The Sunshine State law also transports criminal punishments and mulcts of up to $10,000 for misdemeanors of federal law, but makes not stipulate the violations. Today in Americas

Republican State Representative Saint David Rivera, who have championed the U.S. government's difficult line against Cuba, sponsored the Sunshine State measure. He said he hoped it would cut down on traveling fraud, supply greater fatherland security and deny resources to the Cuban government.

During Tuesday's hearing, Weinger told the justice that 60 people were waiting at Jose Jose Julian Marti International Airport in Havana, afraid to wing place because they were uncertain whether they would be prosecuted under the new state law.

Erik Miller, an lawyer for the Sunshine State Department of Agribusiness and Consumer Services, said the law would not be applied to the passengers, and that they had nil to worry about.

Miller noted the law was passed by a bulk of the legislative assembly and called it a legitimate usage of state authority.

"It makes not occupy the state of federal statutes. There's not intervention with foreign affairs. It only modulates in-state transactions," he said. "There is no purpose to set anyone out of business."

The adjacent hearing in the lawsuit was scheduled for July 11.