[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 104 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 104

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 22, 2013

     Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Brown, and Mr. 
 Lautenberg) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 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 approximately 1,000 new cases every month;
Whereas 60 percent of HIV positive youth do not know that 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 increased 48 percent from 2006 to 2009;
Whereas the Division of Adolescent and School Health is the only Federal program 
        supporting HIV prevention for adolescents in schools;
Whereas the 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 the people of the United States 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 (42 U.S.C. 18001 et seq.) 
        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 Senate--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & 
        AIDS Awareness Day;
            (2) encourages State and local governments, including 
        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 and 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 
        structural barriers faced by young people 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 the involvement of youths in decisions that impact 
        their health and well-being and to provide the next generation 
        of HIV/AIDS doctors, advocates, educators, researchers, and 
        other professionals, as a necessary means to achieving an AIDS-
        free generation.
                                 <all>