[2][3] The bill, which had been tabled in late 1995 after Senator Helms was unable to overcome several Democratic filibusters, was reintroduced prompted by an episode a month earlier.

[4][5] This law includes a wide variety of provisions intended to bring about "a peaceful transition to a representative democracy and market economy in Cuba": Title I strengthened sanctions against the current Cuban Government.

Among many other provisions, it codified the U.S. embargo on trade and financial transactions which had been in effect pursuant to a Presidential proclamation since the Kennedy Administration.

The Act grants the President the authority to suspend the lawsuit provisions for periods of up to 6 months if it is necessary to the national interest of the United States and will expedite a transition to democracy in Cuba.

Successive presidents have exercised this authority, most recently in June 2018,[8] pursuant to a non-binding declaration of intention in April 1997 that came out of a trade dispute with the European Union.

The State Department reviews a broad range of economic activity in Cuba to determine the applicability of Title IV.

[11] The Helms–Burton Act was condemned by the Council of Europe, the European Union, Britain, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and other U.S. allies that enjoy normal trade relations with Cuba.

The European Union introduced a Council Regulation (No 2271/96)[15] (law binding all member states) declaring the extraterritorial provisions of the Helms–Burton Act to be unenforceable within the EU, and permitting recovery of any damages imposed under it.

This law was used against the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel and Towers in Mexico City, which had expelled a group of Cuban officials upon pressure from the United States government and confiscated their funds.

Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump all signed a waiver of parts of the law.