[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1131 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1131

    Recognizing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
observes the month of April as National STD Awareness Month and urging 
 the House of Representatives to focus greater attention on activities 
related to the prevention of STDs and screening and treatment for STDs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 2008

Mrs. Jones of Ohio (for herself, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Baird, Ms. Baldwin, 
 Mr. Berman, Mr. Berry, Mr. Butterfield, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Carson, Mrs. 
   Christensen, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Conyers, Mr. 
    Cummings, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Ellison, Mr. 
Ellsworth, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Hare, Mr. Hastings of 
Florida, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Israel, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Lee, Mr. 
Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Ms. Matsui, Ms. 
  McCollum of Minnesota, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Michaud, Ms. 
  Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Murphy of 
Connecticut, Mr. Olver, Mr. Pomeroy, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Ms. 
 Loretta Sanchez of California, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Scott of Georgia, 
Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. 
Towns, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Watson, Mr. Watt, Mr. 
Waxman, Mr. Walz of Minnesota, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Barrow, Mr. Cooper, Ms. 
Kilpatrick, and Mr. Sherman) submitted the following resolution; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Recognizing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
observes the month of April as National STD Awareness Month and urging 
 the House of Representatives to focus greater attention on activities 
related to the prevention of STDs and screening and treatment for STDs.

Whereas sexually transmitted diseases pose a significant burden in the United 
        States both in economic and human terms;
Whereas the United States has the highest rate of sexually transmitted 
        infections in the industrialized world, with an estimated 19,000,000 new 
        cases of sexually transmitted infections, and almost half of them 
        occurring in young people between the ages of 15 to 24;
Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
        sexually transmitted infections impose a tremendous economic burden on 
        the United States, with direct medical costs as high as $15,300,000,000 
        per year;
Whereas a 2008 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
        estimates that 1 in 4 young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the 
        United States, or 3,200,000 teenage girls, is infected with at least 1 
        of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (human papillomavirus 
        (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis);
Whereas poverty and lack of access to quality health care exacerbate HIV and STD 
        rates;
Whereas the CDC study finds that 48 percent of young African American women are 
        infected with an STD, compared to 20 percent of young White women;
Whereas the two most common STDs overall were human papillomavirus, or HPV, with 
        18 percent infected and chlamydia with 4 percent infected;
Whereas the long-term health effects of STDs for women are especially severe and 
        include infertility and cervical cancer;
Whereas HPV vaccination and STD screening and early treatment can prevent some 
        of the most devastating effects of untreated STDs;
Whereas these high STD infection rates among young women, are clear signs that 
        we must develop ways to reach those most at risk;
Whereas the CDC recommends annual chlamydia screenings for sexually active women 
        25 and under;
Whereas the CDC also recommends that girls and women between the ages of 11 and 
        26 who have not been vaccinated or who have not completed the full 
        series of shots be fully vaccinated against HPV;
Whereas complications of chlamydia can lead to chronic pain, infertility, and 
        tubal pregnancies, which can affect a woman's health and well-being 
        throughout her lifetime;
Whereas the harmful impact of STDs on infants leads to long-term emotional 
        suffering and stress for families;
Whereas unlike other diseases, STDs often cause stigma and feelings of shame for 
        patients diagnosed with these infections;
Whereas the Federal Government should help people protect themselves against 
        STDs by supplying them with information about their options and funding 
        screening and treatment services through a variety of programs including 
        title X of the Public Health Service Act and the CDC's STD prevention 
        program; and
Whereas STD screening, vaccination, and other prevention strategies for sexually 
        active women should be among our highest public health priorities: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention observes a National STD Awareness Month;
            (2) supports the goals of National STD Awareness Month by 
        requesting that the Federal Government, States, localities, and 
        nonprofit organizations observe the month with appropriate 
        programs and activities with the goal of increasing knowledge 
        of the risks of STDs and protecting Americans of all ages;
            (3) recognizes the human toll of the STD epidemic and makes 
        the prevention and cure of STDs a higher public health 
        priority; and
            (4) calls on the citizens of the United States to learn 
        what screenings are recommended for themselves and their 
        children and seek out appropriate care.
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