IV 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 713 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 28, 2012 Mr. Hastings of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Expressing support for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) and the sense of the House of Representatives that continued commitment by the United States to HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment programs is crucial to protecting global health.

Whereas there are currently 33,400,000 people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, and more than 25,000,000 have died of AIDS since the first cases were reported in 1981; Whereas in the United States, more than 1,000,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS and approximately 50,000 individuals become newly infected with the virus each year; Whereas 1 in 5 individuals living with HIV is unaware of their infection, underscoring the need for greater education about HIV/AIDS and access to testing; Whereas significant disparities persist across diverse communities and populations with regard to incidence, access to treatment, and health outcomes, particularly for men who have sex with men (MSM), racial and ethnic minorities, women, and young people; Whereas societal stigma remains a significant challenge to addressing HIV/AIDS; Whereas the United States is heavily engaged in both international and domestic efforts to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), the Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA) Program, and AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Whereas since 1985, the now biennial International AIDS Conference has brought together the world’s leading scientists, public health experts, policymakers, community leaders, and persons living with HIV/AIDS in order to address the major issues facing the global response to HIV/AIDS, evaluate recent scientific developments and share knowledge, and facilitate a collective strategy forward; Whereas 25 years after the III International AIDS Conference was held in Washington, DC, AIDS 2012 will take place from July 22, 2012, through July 27, 2012, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center; Whereas the return of the International AIDS Conference to Washington, DC, represents a significant victory for public health and human rights, following the end of the United States misguided HIV travel and immigration ban on January 4, 2010, after more than 20 years of advocacy by activists; Whereas AIDS 2012, organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS), is expected to convene more than 20,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries, including 2,000 journalists; Whereas the theme of AIDS 2012, Turning the Tide Together, embodies both the promise and urgency of utilizing recent scientific advances in HIV/AIDS treatment and biomedical prevention, continuing research for a HIV vaccine and cure, and scaling up effective, evidence-based interventions in key settings in order to change the course of the HIV/AIDS crisis; Whereas AIDS 2012 seeks to engage governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), policymakers, the scientific community, the private sector, civil society, the media, and people living with HIV/AIDS to more effectively address regional, national, and local responses to HIV/AIDS around the world and overcome barriers that limit access to prevention, care, and services; and Whereas AIDS 2012 is a tremendous opportunity to further strengthen the role of the United States in global HIV/AIDS initiatives, re-energize the response to the domestic epidemic within the current context of significant global economic challenges, and focus particular attention on the devastating impact that HIV is having on different communities across the country: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)supports the XIX International AIDS Conference, and the goal of bringing renewed awareness of, and commitment to, addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States and abroad; (2)recognizes that continued commitment by the United States to HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment programs is crucial to protecting global health, and that formulating sound public health policy, protecting human rights, advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, addressing stigma, poverty, and other societal challenges, and ensuring accountability are key to overcoming HIV/AIDS; (3)seeks to work with all stakeholders to prevent the transmission of HIV, increase access to testing, treatment, and care, improve health outcomes for all people living with HIV/AIDS, and foster greater scientific and programmatic collaborations around the world in order to translate scientific advances and apply best practices to the international community’s efforts to end HIV/AIDS; (4)commits to helping support a stronger global response to HIV/AIDS, protecting the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, and creating an AIDS-free generation; and (5)encourages the ongoing development of innovative therapies and advances in clinical treatment for HIV/AIDS in the public and private sectors, including new and improved biomedical and behavioral prevention strategies, safer, more affordable, more accessible, and effective treatment regimens for infected individuals and pre-exposure prophylaxis, and research for a HIV vaccine and cure.