[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 461 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 461

      Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 4, 2021

 Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Miss Gonzalez-Colon, Ms. Norton, 
   Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Rush, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. 
 Cleaver, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Deutch, 
    Ms. Titus, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Carson, Mr. Pocan, Mr. 
Blumenauer, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Bera, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Strickland, Mr. 
  Auchincloss, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. Bass, Mr. 
  Larson of Connecticut, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Cicilline, and Mr. 
 Schiff) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Foreign Affairs, 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


 
      Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Whereas June 5, 2021, marks the 40th anniversary since the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 
        described the first five cases of what later became known as acquired 
        immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS);
Whereas this day is observed to honor those we have lost, recognize the progress 
        made over 40 years, and recommit to the ongoing bipartisan efforts to 
        further the goals of ending the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 
        epidemic in the United States and globally;
Whereas in the United States, more than 770,000 people with AIDS have died since 
        the beginning of the HIV epidemic, including nearly 16,000 deaths among 
        people diagnosed with HIV in 2018;
Whereas according to the CDC, Black Americans, Latinos, Asians, American 
        Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific 
        Islanders are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States;
Whereas the CDC has found that men who have sex with men, particularly young 
        Black and Latino men, are the population most affected by HIV in the 
        United States;
Whereas southern areas of the United States bear the greatest burden of HIV, 
        accounting for 51 percent of new infections in 2018;
Whereas the CDC estimates that 44 percent of Black transgender women are living 
        with HIV in the United States, and transgender women are 49 times more 
        likely to be diagnosed with HIV compared to the global general adult 
        population;
Whereas groundbreaking science, policies, and work have drastically extended the 
        life expectancy and wellbeing of those who are able to access and 
        maintain HIV treatment, where one in two people living with HIV in the 
        United States is over the age of 50;
Whereas, as of the end of 2019, globally an estimated 38,000,000 people were 
        living with HIV or AIDS, including 1,800,000 children;
Whereas 1,700,000 people are newly infected with HIV every year, including 
        40,000 in the United States;
Whereas considerable progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, 
        including a 23-percent reduction in new HIV transmissions, over a 40-
        percent reduction in new HIV transmissions among children, and over a 
        30-percent reduction in the number of AIDS-related deaths between 2010 
        and 2019;
Whereas approximately 25,400,000 people had access to antiretroviral therapy in 
        2019, compared to only 7,800,000 people who had access to such therapy 
        in 2010;
Whereas it is estimated that, without treatment, half of all infants living with 
        HIV will die before their second birthday;
Whereas despite significant gains, every week 6,000 adolescent girls and young 
        women are infected with HIV worldwide;
Whereas it is estimated that 1,700,000 people who inject drugs (PWID) are also 
        living with HIV;
Whereas injection drug use makes up 10 percent of HIV infections globally and 30 
        percent of those outside of Africa, and regional HIV prevalence rates 
        are high in PWID in all parts of the world;
Whereas adult and adolescent PWID accounted for 10 percent (or 3,864) new HIV 
        diagnoses in the United States each year with growing numbers as the 
        opioid crisis continues;
Whereas the bipartisan leadership of the United States over the last four 
        decades has built innovative programs that have changed the course of 
        the epidemic within the United States and abroad, creating a 
        compassionate, evidence-based approach responsible for saving millions 
        of lives;
Whereas in order to address the HIV epidemic in the United States, on August 18, 
        1990, Congress enacted the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources 
        Emergency Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-381; commonly referred to as the 
        ``Ryan White CARE Act'') to provide primary medical care and essential 
        support services for people living with HIV who are uninsured or 
        underinsured, which now provides services and support for over half of 
        all people diagnosed with HIV in the United States;
Whereas to further focus attention on the HIV/AIDS epidemic among minority 
        communities in the United States, in 1998, the Minority AIDS Initiative 
        was established to provide funds to State and local institutions and 
        organizations to best serve the health care costs and support the needs 
        of racial and ethnic minorities living with HIV;
Whereas the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program provides housing 
        assistance and related services to low-income people living with HIV;
Whereas the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative was established in 
        2019 to leverage scientific progress in HIV prevention, diagnosis, 
        treatment, and outbreak response to end the HIV epidemic in the United 
        States by 2030;
Whereas the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals established a global 
        target to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030;
Whereas in order to further address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, in 2003, 
        Congress and the White House created the President's Emergency Plan for 
        AIDS Relief (PEPFAR);
Whereas the PEPFAR program remains the largest commitment in history by any 
        country to combat a single disease;
Whereas, as of 2020, PEPFAR has supported treatment for approximately 17,200,000 
        people, including by providing antiretroviral drugs to 2,800,000 
        pregnant women living with HIV to prevent the transmission of HIV from 
        mother to child during birth;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2020, PEPFAR directly supported HIV testing and 
        counseling for 50,000,000 people;
Whereas the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, launched in 
        2002, has helped provide antiretroviral therapy to approximately 
        20,100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and to 718,000 pregnant women to 
        prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS to their children, saving an 
        estimated 38,000,000 lives as of 2019;
Whereas the United States is the largest donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
        Tuberculosis and Malaria, and every $1 contributed by the United States 
        leverages an additional $2 from other donors, as required by law;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is leading the effort, in 
        conjunction with PEPFAR, the United States Agency for International 
        Development, and others around the world, developing a scientifically 
        sound HIV treatment and prevention toolkit that includes new treatments, 
        vaccines, microbicides, and preexposure prophylaxis for communities 
        impacted by HIV and people living with HIV in the United States and 
        globally;
Whereas NIH-funded research has been crucial in the development of combination 
        antiretroviral therapy (ART), that has enabled people diagnosed with HIV 
        to have undetectable viral load and longer lifespans, and prevents 
        sexual transmission to partners, establishing a concept known as 
        ``Undetectable equals Untransmittable'' or U=U;
Whereas NIH-sponsored clinical trials demonstrated that ART medication taken by 
        an HIV negative person effectively prevents acquisition of HIV, leading 
        to the approval of ART for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a once-a-day 
        medication which effectively prevents HIV;
Whereas United States public sector investment in HIV and HIV-related research 
        and development rose by five percent in 2019, increasing from 
        $829,000,000 in 2018 to $871,000,000;
Whereas United States Government investments in HIV research fuel biomedical 
        advances and breakthroughs that will have profound medical and financial 
        benefits far beyond the HIV epidemic, including advancements and 
        breakthroughs with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas vaccine approaches originally developed for HIV vaccine design are at 
        the forefront of COVID-19 vaccine development; and
Whereas strong research and development investment is essential for innovative 
        and successful biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceutical 
        industry development: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reiterates the continued bipartisan leadership and 
        commitment by the United States in domestic, bilateral, 
        multilateral, and private sector efforts to fight and end human 
        immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodefiency syndrome (HIV/
        AIDS);
            (2) commends the efforts and achievements in combating HIV/
        AIDS through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 
        2009 (Public Law 111-87), the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National 
        Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
        Services Administration, the Office of Minority Health, the 
        Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the 
        Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of HIV/
        AIDS Housing;
            (3) commends the efforts and achievements in combating HIV/
        AIDS made by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, 
        the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and 
        the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS;
            (4) supports strong, sustained investment for prevention, 
        care, and treatment services, and research programs for 
        communities impacted by HIV and people diagnosed with HIV in 
        the United States and globally;
            (5) urges, in order to ensure that an AIDS-free generation 
        is achievable, rapid action by all countries toward further 
        expansion and a scale-up of antiretroviral treatment programs, 
        including efforts to reduce disparities and improve access for 
        children to lifesaving medications;
            (6) encourages scaling up of comprehensive prevention 
        services, including biomedical and structural interventions, to 
        ensure equitable and inclusive access to programs and 
        appropriate resources for all people at risk of contracting 
        HIV, especially in communities disproportionately impacted by 
        new HIV infections in the United States;
            (7) calls for greater focus on the HIV-related 
        vulnerabilities of women and girls, including women and girls 
        at risk for or who have survived violence or faced 
        discrimination as a result of the disease; and
            (8) encourages input from civil society in the development 
        and implementation of domestic and global HIV policies and 
        programs that guide the response.
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