[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 59 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 59

 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness 
                                  Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2013

   Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Sewell of 
Alabama, Mr. Himes, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Watt, 
   Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Hahn, Ms. Schwartz, Ms. 
   McCollum, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Lewis, Ms. 
Jackson Lee, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Cummings, Mrs. Beatty, 
Ms. Moore, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cicilline, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. 
 Hastings of Florida, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson 
of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Richmond, 
 Ms. Frankel of Florida, Ms. Waters, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, 
Mr. Rush, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
    Jeffries, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Honda, Mr. Serrano, and Ms. Edwards) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness 
                                  Day.

Whereas 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 
        21 percent do not know they are infected;
Whereas in 2010, approximately 47,129 people were diagnosed with HIV in the 
        United States, about 1 person infected with HIV every 11 minutes;
Whereas African-Americans represented 44 percent of all people living with HIV 
        in the United States in 2009;
Whereas in 2010, nearly 21,000 African-Americans were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, 
        contracting HIV at a rate 7.9 times as high as the rate in Whites;
Whereas although African-American teenagers (ages 13 to 19) represent only 15 
        percent of all teenagers in the United States, they accounted for 69 
        percent of new HIV cases reported among teenagers in 2010;
Whereas new HIV infections among African-American men who have sex with men 
        (MSM) ages 13 to 29, increased 48 percent from 2006 through 2009;
Whereas young gay men of color bear a disproportionate burden of the epidemic, 
        with the majority of new HIV infections in 2010 occurring among 13- to 
        24-year-old African-American MSM, accounting for 45 percent of new 
        infections among African-American MSM and 55 percent of all new 
        infections among young MSM;
Whereas in 2010, African-American women accounted for 68 percent of new HIV 
        infections among women and had an infection rate that was 20 times 
        higher than that of White women;
Whereas among African-American men, the leading transmission category of HIV 
        infection in 2010 was sexual contact with other men, followed by 
        heterosexual contact and intravenous drug use;
Whereas in 2008, HIV/AIDS prevalence among men in prisons was 1.4 percent;
Whereas in 2010, African-American males were imprisoned at a rate nearly 7 times 
        that of White males;
Whereas among African-American women, the leading transmission category of HIV 
        infection is heterosexual contact, followed by intravenous drug use;
Whereas the CDC notes that socioeconomic issues impact the rates of HIV 
        infection among African-Americans, and studies have found an association 
        between higher AIDS rates and lower incomes;
Whereas African-Americans are diagnosed with AIDS later than their nonminority 
        counterparts, are confronted with barriers in accessing care and 
        treatment, and face higher morbidity and mortality outcomes;
Whereas the CDC estimates that among persons whose diagnosis of AIDS had been 
        made during 1997 to 2004, African-Americans had the poorest survival 
        rates of any racial or ethnic group, with 66 percent surviving after 9 
        years compared with 67 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 
        74 percent of Hispanics, 75 percent of Whites, and 81 percent of Asians 
        and Pacific Islanders;
Whereas approximately 619,400 people have died of AIDS in the United States from 
        the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic through 2012, and African-
        Americans account for approximately 40 percent of such deaths;
Whereas in 2007, HIV was the ninth leading cause of death for all African-
        Americans, and the third leading cause of death for both African-
        American men and African-American women between the ages of 35 to 44;
Whereas life-saving treatment is also proven prevention, and research shows that 
        antiretroviral drugs can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV/AIDS by up 
        to 96 percent;
Whereas the Food and Drug Administration has approved pre-exposure prophylaxis 
        as prevention for people who are HIV-negative;
Whereas a sequester that triggers a 5.2-percent reduction across nondefense 
        spending, as part of the Budget Control Act, would result in harmful 
        cuts to programs that would significantly undermine the domestic HIV/
        AIDS response;
Whereas according to amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, and the National 
        Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), such cuts to domestic HIV/AIDS services 
        and research would result in the loss of HIV/AIDS treatment for 6,500 
        people of color in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, as well as housing 
        assistance for 1,850 households, and delay the development of life-
        saving treatment, vaccines, and behavioral interventions;
Whereas in 1998, Congress and the Clinton Administration created the National 
        Minority AIDS Initiative to help coordinate funding, build capacity, and 
        provide prevention, care, and treatment services within the African-
        American, Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American 
        communities;
Whereas the National Minority AIDS Initiative assists with leadership 
        development of community-based organizations (CBOs), establishes and 
        links provider networks, builds community prevention infrastructure, 
        promotes technical assistance among CBOs, and raises awareness among 
        African-American communities;
Whereas in 2012 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 
        (NAACP) released a manual of best practices for faith leaders to 
        mobilize communities, advocate for community support for people infected 
        with and affected by HIV/AIDS, and organize dialogues on HIV/AIDS as a 
        social justice issue as part of ``The Black Church and HIV: The Social 
        Justice Imperative'';
Whereas the first annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was organized on 
        February 23, 2001; and
Whereas February 7 of each year is now recognized as National Black HIV/AIDS 
        Awareness Day with the slogan ``Get Educated! Get Tested! Get Involved! 
        Get Treated!'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/
        AIDS Awareness Day;
            (2) encourages State and local governments, including their 
        public health agencies, and media organizations to recognize 
        and support such day, to publicize its importance among their 
        communities, and to all encourage individuals, especially 
        African-Americans, to get tested for HIV;
            (3) commends the work of AIDS service organizations and 
        community and faith-based organizations that are providing 
        effective, evidence-based, prevention, treatment, care, and 
        support services to people living with and vulnerable to HIV/
        AIDS;
            (4) supports the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS 
        Strategy and its goals to reduce new HIV infections, increase 
        access to care and improve health outcomes for people living 
        with HIV, reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities, 
        and achieve a more coordinated national response to the HIV/
        AIDS epidemic;
            (5) supports reducing the impact of incarceration as a 
        driver of new HIV infections within the African-American 
        community;
            (6) supports reducing the number of HIV infections in the 
        African-American community resulting from intravenous drug use;
            (7) supports effective and comprehensive HIV prevention 
        education programs to promote 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;
            (8) supports appropriate funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, 
        care, treatment, research, and housing, including community 
        based approaches to fight stigma, discrimination, and 
        homophobia; and
            (9) encourages a comprehensive prevention and treatment 
        strategy that empowers public health workers, educators, faith 
        leaders, and other stakeholders to engage their communities to 
        help decrease violence, discrimination, and stigma towards 
        individuals who disclose their sexual orientation or HIV 
        status, and normalize voluntary testing practices.
                                 <all>