[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 148 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 148

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness 
                                  Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2013

Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. 
  McCollum, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. 
McGovern, Mr. Clay, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Ms. 
   Clarke, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Cummings, Ms. Waters, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. 
  Schakowsky, Mr. Takano, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Cicilline) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness 
                                  Day.

Whereas more than 30 years into the epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the United States more than 
        1,100,000 people are living with HIV, and every year approximately 
        50,000 people acquire HIV;
Whereas 1 in 4 new HIV infections occurs among young people between the ages of 
        13 and 24, accounting for 1,000 new cases every month;
Whereas 60 percent of HIV positive youth do not know they carry the HIV virus;
Whereas there are approximately 76,400 young people living with HIV;
Whereas African-American youth bear a disproportionate burden of the epidemic, 
        representing 60 percent of new infections in young people;
Whereas new HIV infections among 13- to 29-year-old African-American men who 
        have sex with men (MSM) increased 48 percent from 2006 through 2009;
Whereas the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), is the only Federal 
        program supporting HIV prevention for adolescents in schools;
Whereas the Nation's largest Federal program dedicated to providing care and 
        treatment for people living with HIV was named after Ryan White, a 
        teenager from Indiana who helped educate a Nation about HIV and AIDS in 
        the 1980s;
Whereas the Ryan White Part D Program is one of the national efforts to link HIV 
        positive youth to medical care and support services;
Whereas the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes many provisions 
        that benefit young people and help achieve the goal of an AIDS-free 
        generation, including funding for sex education to help ensure that 
        every young person in the United States is educated about HIV/AIDS, a 
        prohibition against denying people living with HIV access to health 
        care, HIV testing for women without a co-pay, and expanded access to 
        Medicaid which will help more HIV-positive youth receive care; and
Whereas April 10 of each year is now recognized as National Youth HIV & AIDS 
        Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & 
        AIDS Awareness Day;
            (2) encourages State and local governments, including their 
        public health agencies, education agencies, schools, and media 
        organizations to recognize and support such a day;
            (3) promotes effective and comprehensive HIV prevention 
        education programs both in and out of schools as a tool to 
        ensure that all people in the United States are educated about 
        HIV, as called for in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy;
            (4) urges youth-friendly and accessible health care 
        services to better provide for the early identification of HIV 
        through voluntary routine testing, and to connect those in need 
        to clinically and culturally appropriate care and treatment as 
        early as possible;
            (5) commends the work of AIDS service organizations, 
        community and faith-based organizations, and school-based 
        health centers that are providing youth-friendly, effective, 
        prevention, treatment, care, and support services to young 
        people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS;
            (6) recognizes the importance of interventions that address 
        young people's structural barriers to living healthy lives, 
        including accessible health care, safe and inclusive schools 
        and communities, family acceptance, secure housing, excellent 
        education, employment and legal protections, and poverty 
        reduction initiatives; and
            (7) prioritizes youth leadership and development in order 
        to ensure youth involvement in decisions which impact their 
        health and well-being as well as advance a pipeline for the 
        next generation of HIV/AIDS doctors, advocates, educators, 
        researchers, and other professionals, as a necessary means to 
        achieving an AIDS-free generation.
                                 <all>