[R-G] Florida Unilaterally Restricts Travel to Iran, "State Sponsors of Terror"

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1161&Itemid=59>
Florida Unilaterally Restricts Travel to Iran, "State Sponsors of Terror"
Farid Zareie and Patrick Disney
Jul 07, 2008

Washington, DC -- A law has been passed by the Florida legislature
making it significantly more difficult for Iranian Americans to travel
to Iran to visit family and friends.  On June 23rd the Governor of
Florida, Charlie Crist, signed into law SB 1310, which imposes heavy
restrictions on Florida travel agencies that arrange trips to any
state sponsors of terrorism.  Among these restrictions, travel agents
must pay a $1000 registration fee and secure at least a $100,000
security bond to provide services to anyone seeking to visit countries
recognized by the State Department as a supporter of terrorism,
including Iran.

How does this affect the Iranian American community in Florida, the
sixth largest population in the US?  This law will make it much more
expensive for Iranian Americans and anybody else in Florida to travel
to Iran. Higher costs for travel agencies will be passed on to
consumers, compounding the effects of record oil prices and making it
much more expensive for Americans to travel.  In addition, it is
likely this strict regulation will discourage agencies from offering
services to Iran, making it harder for people to visit relatives in
their country of origin.

The law, proposed by Sen. Carey Baker. of Lake County, first passed
the Committee on Criminal Justice by a six to one vote, then on April
30 the bill passed the full Senate 26-2.  The Florida House passed it
109-6 the same day. Sen. Paula Dockery, who was the only vote against
this bill in the Criminal Justice Committee, criticized the law,
saying "This is a vindictive act against travel agents that hurts
people who need assistance."

Currently, a group of concerned travel agencies in Florida are suing
to obtain an injunction blocking enforcement of the law, which also
restricts travel to Cuba.  Attorney Ira Kurzban filed a law suit on
June 30 on behalf of 16 Cuban-American travel agencies, recommending
the law be struck down as an unconstitutional restriction on federally
permissible travel.  A Florida judge granted a temporary restraining
order blocking the law's implementation until August 29th.

The American Society for Travel Agents (ASTA) has opposed this law,
calling it an unfair restraint on citizens' freedom to travel.
According to ASTA, the law violates a total of four provisions of the
U.S. Constitution and is in direct conflict with federal law.

The Florida law contradicts the expressed interest of the Bush
Administration's to increase people-to-people contacts between the US
and Iran. Last month, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said "The
United States has been, for some time, trying to reach out to the
Iranian people in various ways...We want more Iranians visiting the
United States."

NIAC continues to investigate this issue to identify avenues in which
the Iranian-American community's interest can be represented.