[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 21 (Monday, February 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H1162-H1167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS
DAY
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 35) supporting the goals and ideals
of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 35
Whereas the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States has
shifted primarily to the African-American community and other
communities of color;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has stated that, at the end of 2005, over 188,000
African Americans were living with AIDS, representing 44
percent of all cases in the United States;
Whereas since the beginning of the epidemic, African
Americans have accounted for nearly 400,000 or 42 percent of
the estimated 953,000 AIDS cases diagnosed, and through
December 2005, an estimated 211,559 African Americans with
AIDS have died;
Whereas the CDC has further stated that, in 2005, African
Americans accounted for nearly 50 percent of all new HIV
infections, despite representing only about 12.3 percent of
the population (according to the 2000 Census);
Whereas the CDC estimates that, in 2005, African-American
women accounted for over 66 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases
among women, and were 25 times more likely to be infected
than White women;
Whereas the CDC estimates that of the over 18,800 people
under the age of 25 whose diagnosis of HIV/AIDS was made
during 2001-2004, 61 percent were African-American;
Whereas the CDC estimates that 73 percent of all children
born to HIV infected mothers in 2004 were African-American;
Whereas the CDC has determined that the leading cause of
HIV infection among African-American men is sexual contact
with other men, followed by intravenous drug use and
heterosexual contact;
Whereas the CDC has determined that the leading cause of
HIV infection among African-American women is heterosexual
contact, followed by intravenous drug use;
[[Page H1163]]
Whereas in 2002, AIDS was among the top three causes of
death for African-American men in the age group 25 through
54, among the top four causes of death for African-American
women in the age group 25 through 54, and the number one
cause of death for African-American women aged 25 to 34
years;
Whereas the CDC estimates that, since 1996, African
Americans have the poorest survival rates of any racial or
ethnic group diagnosed with AIDS, with 64 percent surviving
after 9 years compared to 65 percent of American Indians and
Alaska Natives, 72 percent of Hispanics, 74 percent of
Whites, and 81 percent of Asian Pacific Islanders;
Whereas African Americans are diagnosed with AIDS later
than nonminority counterparts, are confronted with barriers
in accessing care and treatment, and face higher morbidity
and mortality outcomes;
Whereas in 1998, the 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 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 on February 23, 2001, the first annual National
Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was organized, with the slogan
``Get Educated, Get Involved, Get Tested''; and
Whereas February 7 of each year is now recognized as
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/
AIDS Awareness Day and recognizes the seventh anniversary of
observing such day;
(2) encourages State and local governments, including their
public health agencies, to recognize such day, to publicize
its importance among their communities, and to encourage
individuals to undergo testing for HIV;
(3) encourages national, State, and local media
organizations to carry messages in support of National Black
HIV/AIDS Awareness Day;
(4) supports full and equitable funding for the Ryan White
HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006;
(5) applauds the codification of the Minority AIDS
Initiative within the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE
Act;
(6) supports appropriate funding for HIV/AIDS prevention
and treatment;
(7) supports the strengthening of stable African-American
communities;
(8) supports reducing the impact of incarceration as a
driver of new HIV infections within the African-American
community;
(9) 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 treatment and care as early as possible;
(10) supports reducing the number of HIV infections in the
African-American community resulting from injection drug use;
and
(11) supports efforts to link those infected with HIV to
accessible care and treatment options.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Towns) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, this is a healing moment in the long struggle
for full and fair recognition for the African American victims of HIV
and AIDS. I am proud that the Congress and our Nation continues to
recognize the changing face of the HIV and AIDS. And I urge you to
unanimously support this resolution.
In the previous Congress, we spent much time and energy on the issue
of HIV and AIDS, and rightfully so. I am glad that the Nation and the
Congress have come together today to support a House resolution that
recognizes the importance of supporting awareness in African American
communities across this Nation.
This is a special moment for me, because the HIV/AIDS crisis has hit
the national African American community, and my own district in
Brooklyn, New York has been hit real hard. So it is critical for
Congress today to say to the Nation that this issue at this time is
important, just as we did in the last session when we included for the
first time the Minority AIDS Initiative in the Ryan White
reauthorization.
I am particularly pleased that today's Congress is recognizing the
goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The
importance of prevention and testing in African American communities is
very, very important, the need for full and equitable treatment of the
disease in communities of color.
My colleagues will speak to other aspects of the resolution. However,
we are united in our support for strengthening the public health
infrastructure to assist African American communities in fighting this
epidemic.
I urge my colleagues to vote for this critical resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution
35. I was proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation. This legislation
recognizes the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007 marks the ninth annual National Black
HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This day serves to commemorate the importance
of educating African Americans and, indeed, the entire community about
the need to get tested, understand the results of that testing, what it
means, and get treatment if they are currently living with HIV or AIDS
or are newly diagnosed.
National Black HIV/AIDS Day is an important reminder that African
Americans continue to be impacted by the disease and that local
communities should work together to provide avenues to prevent new
infections, as well as ensuring that those currently living with the
diagnosis have access to available services for their treatment and for
their care.
Each year, 20,000 African Americans are newly infected with HIV.
African American men and women are among the hardest hit populations in
the United States, and in 2004 they accounted for fully half of all of
the new HIV diagnoses in this country and more than a third of the AIDS
deaths to date.
Department statistics show that racial and ethnic minorities
represent the highest number of new AIDS cases. More than 75 percent of
the people living with AIDS are racial and ethnic minorities, and HIV
has become a leading cause of death for African Americans.
Mr. Speaker, in my own district in north Texas, a few facts about the
HIV epidemic in Tarrant County. The average HIV rate per 100,000
population for Tarrant County, Texas is 25, but for the African
American community it is fully three times that amount at 76.
The average AIDS rate per 100,000 population for Tarrant County,
Texas is 13, but for the African American community, again, that number
is tripled to 35.
While we saw a spike of AIDS cases in the mid-1990s, and then a
decline in the late 1990s, rates have begun again to increase from 1999
to 2003 and continue to climb upwards.
In the State of Texas, almost half of all of the HIV and AIDS
diagnoses are African Americans, 42 percent and 40 percent
respectively. And in my home county of Tarrant County, there is no
bigger advocate and activist for the African Americans who are living
with this diagnosis than retired Judge Mary Ellen Hicks, and I thank
her for her service in making all of us aware of this problem.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important
resolution commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1500
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to yield 4 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who has been fighting on this
issue from the day that she arrived in the United States Congress.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from New York
for yielding, Mr. Towns, for your leadership, and for managing this
bill today, which is very important for not
[[Page H1164]]
only my community but for your community and for all our communities
throughout the country. And I want to thank Mr. Dingell, also Mr.
Burgess, for your leadership and for your support for this effort.
Also let me thank our staff for helping us bring this bill to the
floor. Especially I want to thank our leadership's staff, Mr. Towns's,
Mr. Burgess's, Mr. Dingell's staff, Mr. Barton's staff; as well as my
staff, Christos Tesentas, for their very competent and their very
effective work. This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. It is a
bipartisan issue. And our staffs have really exemplified, I think, the
best of what staff can do to work together on something this important.
Two days from now, on February 7, we will commemorate, and it is
unfortunate that we have to commemorate this, the seventh National
Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day when we urge African Americans to
get educated, to get involved, and to get tested.
The numbers are startling, Mr. Speaker, especially for African
American women. According to the CDC, in 2005 African American women
accounted for 66 percent of all new HIV/AIDS cases among women, and
this is climbing as we speak. It is probably now closer to 70 percent.
And we are 25 times more likely to be infected than white women. Today,
AIDS is the number one cause of death among African American women
between the ages of 25 and 34. Think about that for a minute. The
number one cause of death. Young women.
Black gay men are also affected by this disease. A recent CDC study
found, and this was in 2005 again, that 46 percent, 46 percent, of
black gay men in five U.S. cities were HIV positive.
This is simply outrageous. These statistics are quite staggering.
At the end of last year, we took a positive bipartisan step forward
to address the spread of HIV and AIDS among the African American
community by ensuring the Minority AIDS Initiative, initiated by a
great leader on this issue, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Donna
Christensen in 1999. We were able to finally formally include this in
the Ryan White CARE Act. Now we really do have a responsibility to go
even further. We could start by funding the Minority AIDS Initiative at
a minimum of $610 million and by fully funding the Ryan White Treatment
Modernization Act.
But we must also go beyond the money and get at the factors that are
ultimately driving this epidemic among African American people, African
American men and women. Poverty and discrimination, the lack of
affordable housing, the unequal impact of the disproportionate rates of
incarceration among black men, poor access to care, limited cultural
competency for health workers, all of these deserve our attention and
deserve action.
Mr. Speaker, the color of our skin really should never determine our
health status or the quality of care we receive. Unfortunately, today
to be black is to be at greater risk of HIV and AIDS. And,
unfortunately, this disease is really increasing among Latinos and the
Asian Pacific American community. So we must do much more for everyone.
As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to do just that, to
change these statistics. It is not an ideological issue, and, Mr.
Towns, you know this is not an ideological issue. It is a moral and
humanitarian call for equality and for justice.
So I urge my colleagues to join us in stopping the spread of this
global pandemic, a priority not only throughout the world but also here
at home. In Toronto, Canada Congresswomen Waters, Christensen, and
myself, we participated in a very effective and very profound
international AIDS conference this past year. There were pledges made
to make HIV and AIDS a priority with civil rights groups. The NAACP and
many of our organizations that have been working for justice and civil
rights for many years now understand and are on the front lines in
terms of making HIV and AIDS a major, major priority.
So let me just say it is a very important day. This is a very
important resolution, and I urge both sides of the House to vote for H.
Con. Res. 35.
Again, I want to thank Mr. Burgess and Mr. Towns for your leadership
and for yielding the time today.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), who has really been involved
in this issue, and I have worked very closely with her.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New
York for bringing this resolution before this House. His work is very
important on this issue.
And I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 35, supporting the goals and
ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
The first annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was organized
on February 23, 2001, with the message ``Get Educated, Get Involved,
Get Tested.''
Unfortunately, African Americans have been gravely impacted by the
AIDS epidemic. Unfortunately, African Americans account for half of the
new AIDS cases, although we are only 13 percent of the population.
Worse yet is the fact that African American women represent 67 percent
of new AIDS cases among women, and black teenagers represent 66 percent
of new AIDS cases among teenagers.
That is why back in 1998 I established the Minority AIDS Initiative,
with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Clinton
administration. At that time we received $166 million in funding the
new initiative, and this initiative for HIV/AIDS treatment and
prevention programs serving African American and other minority
communities was very helpful in helping to build capacity in these
communities to deal with the problem.
However, it is not enough. Last year I asked for $610 million, and I
am renewing my call with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus
for that amount. But the message ``Get Educated, Get Involved, Get
Tested'' is an important message for all Americans. Over 1 million
Americans are living with HIV/AIDS, and 24 to 27 percent of them do not
know they are infected.
That is why today I am reintroducing the Routine HIV/AIDS Screening
Coverage Act. This bill requires health insurance plans to cover
routine HIV/AIDS tests under the same terms and conditions as other
routine health screenings.
I also plan to reintroduce the Stop AIDS in Prison Act, a bill to
require routine HIV/AIDS screening of all Federal prison inmates upon
entering prison and again prior to release from prison, as well as
comprehensive treatment for those who test positive. Routine HIV/AIDS
screening will allow thousands of African Americans and other infected
individuals to find out about their infection, begin life-extending
treatment, and avoid spreading the virus to others.
I urge my colleagues to support National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day, and I urge all Americans to educate themselves, act responsibly,
get involved, and get tested for HIV/AIDS.
I thank Representative Towns for the attention that he has given to
this issue.
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 10\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
must admit I don't plan to take it all.
But let me just say I would like to thank the staff members. I would
like to thank the leadership of the committees, who, of course, have
been very involved in this issue because this is a very serious issue.
People are dying because of the fact that we are not paying enough
attention to this disease. So I want to thank people like Congresswoman
Barbara Lee from California, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and, of
course, many others who have been there in the forefront indicating the
fact that the time to do something is now.
This resolution sort of highlights how important this issue is and
that we must begin to address it. So I am hoping that the Members of
the United States Congress will join us in supporting this resolution
and not only that but to help us get information out to people.
People need to be tested but not only to be tested. When they are
tested, they need to have treatment. It is one
[[Page H1165]]
thing to test; it is another thing to have treatment. Just a test to be
testing does not make a lot of sense. But when you test and then you
have a treatment program and you get education out, then it makes a lot
of sense.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. TOWNS. I would be delighted to yield to the gentlewoman from
California.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I see that Congresswoman Barbara Lee is at
the other microphone. If she, too, may engage in this colloquy.
Mr. Towns, I was just wondering, in the work that we have all been
doing, we have been trying so hard to educate all of our young people
in our communities about HIV and AIDS and how they can take more
responsibility. We have been fighting for money.
Do you believe that it would be helpful if we took this resolution
and made a comprehensive effort, focused effort, to get to the churches
and to some of the other institutions that are so important in our
community, disseminate it widely so that we could broaden the
individuals and groups who are involved in this whole discussion and
fight against HIV and AIDS?
Mr. TOWNS. No doubt about it. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, let me
say that I think that we need to involve our churches in this battle.
Not only our churches but also our 501(c)(3) organizations. They need
to be involved in this as well because we are talking about life and
death. And the fact is that if we get involved, I think that we can
begin to turn this around.
Right now we are not winning the battle, and I think that we need to
win. In order to win, we have to get all the soldiers involved. And I
think that the church is crucial. They need to be involved in this
issue. So we need to try to get the word out to them and hope that they
will respond in a major kind of way because people are dying that
really don't have to die if we get this information to them.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. TOWNS. I would be delighted to yield to the gentlewoman from
California.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I am
delighted that we have a chance to have this colloquy because I would
like to highlight the importance of getting tested.
Congresswoman Waters and I and others last year, actually
approximately 16 Members of Congress, were tested publicly. The
importance of members of the clergy and Members of Congress and
leadership getting tested, showing our communities that it is the
correct thing to do, there is a large percentage of individuals living
with HIV and AIDS who don't know they have the virus, and in fact, once
tested the results are confidential.
There are several tests, but one is a swab test where you get the
results back within 20 to 30 minutes. Again, the results of those tests
are very confidential. It is important that ministers and, Mr. Towns,
you are a great member of the clergy as well as a Member of Congress,
and your voice in this entire effort is so important because once
people eliminate that fear, then, in fact, they can move forward and
get tested and begin to help reduce this pandemic, which is what it is.
So I want to thank you for giving us a chance to talk about this,
about getting tested also, because this is one way you actually can
have a reduction of the incidences of HIV and AIDS very quickly.
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, let me say that I want to
salute both of you. Ron Dellums, when he was here in the Congress, Ron,
of course, was really in the forefront of the fighting to get
additional resources for AIDS patients and AIDS victims, and, of
course, now you have picked it up and Congresswoman Maxine Waters from
California. I want to let you know that we really appreciate your
voices, and I want to let you know that I look forward to working with
you in the days and months ahead to make certain that we get this
information out to people that need to have this information because a
lot of people don't know, and if they don't know, then they don't do
anything about it. So I want to say to you thank you for helping to get
the word out to make certain that they do know. I want to thank both of
you for your hard work in this effort.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support
of H. Con. Res. 35 supporting the goals and ideals of National Black
HIV/AIDS Awareness. Established in February 2000, National Black HIV/
AIDS Awareness and Information Day, NBHAAD, is an annual observance day
that was created to raise awareness among African-Americans about HIV/
AIDS and its devastating impact on African-American communities.
There is no question that we must continue to mount a massive
campaign to support the mission of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day, NBHAAD to build the capacity and increase awareness, participation
and support for HIV prevention, care and treatment among African-
Americans. February 7, 2007 marks the seventh year of this annual
event. The day is part of a national mobilization effort to get
African-Americans to learn more about the threat posed by the disease,
get tested, get treated and make a commitment to fight HIV/AIDS. For
this day and everyday forward we must raise our voices to volumes that
can be heard across the globe. Unfortunately, for too long we have
settled for surviving our tragic losses in silence. But listen to these
screaming statistics:
According to CDC estimates, at the end of 2005, African-Americans
accounted for 44 percent of all individuals living with AIDS--188,000.
In 2005, African-Americans accounted for nearly 50 percent of all new
HIV infections, despite representing only about 12.3 percent of the
population, according to the 2000 Census.
In 2005, African-American women represented 66 percent of all new
HIV/AIDS cases among women, and were 25 times more likely to be
infected than White women.
CDC estimates that 73 percent of all children born to HIV infected
mothers in 2004 were African-American.
With an estimated 38.6 million people worldwide living with HIV at
the end of 2005, and more than 25 million people having died of AIDS
since 1981, NBHAAD serves to remind everyone that action makes a
difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Let there be no mistake; we
are here to acknowledge that AIDS is a deadly enemy against which we
must join all our forces to fight and eliminate.
Though I stand here today in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day, Americans should be reminded that HIV/AIDS does not
discriminate. With an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 HIV-positive
individuals living in the U.S., and approximately 40,000 new infections
occurring every year, the U.S., like other nations around the world is
deeply affected by HIV/AIDS.
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that AIDS is devastating the African-
American community. As of February 2006, African-Americans represented
only 13 percent of the U.S. population, but accounted for 40 percent of
the 944,306 AIDS cases diagnosed since the start of the epidemic and
approximately half, 49 percent of the 42,514 cases diagnosed in 2004
alone. African-Americans also account for half of new HIV/AIDS
diagnoses in the 35 States/areas with confidential name-based
reporting.
The AIDS case rate per 100,000 population among African-American
adults/adolescents was nearly 10.2 times that of Whites in 2004.
African-Americans accounted for 55 percent of deaths due to HIV in 2002
and their survival time after an AIDS diagnosis is lower on average
than it is for other racial/ethnic groups. HIV was the third leading
cause of death for African-Americans, ages 25-34, in 2002 compared to
the sixth leading cause of death for Whites and Latinos in this age
group.
African-American women and children have been disproportionately
victimized by this deadly disease. African-American women account for
the majority of new AIDS cases among women--67 percent in 2004; White
women account for 17 percent and Latinas 15 percent. Among African-
Americans, African-American women represent more than a third, 36
percent of AIDS cases diagnosed in 2004. Although African-American
teens, ages 13-19, represent only 15 percent of U.S. teenagers, they
accounted for 66 percent of new AIDS cases reported among teens in
2003. We must continue to forge a tough fight to reverse all of these
costly trends.
Mr. Speaker, combating this crisis will take a team effort. All of
us--researchers, legislators, clergy, community organizers and
activists and others--must work tirelessly to find solutions and to
help so that our work will bring forth a wealth of wisdom that creates
a climate of compassionate care and healing.
Let us go forth as warriors, renewed in our commitment to stand in
solidarity with everyone who has been affected by HIV and AIDS, and let
us be encouraged in our efforts to comfort the afflicted and confront
the passiveness of so many who contribute to the spread of this deadly
disease; and let us be
[[Page H1166]]
emboldened to speak out in our own communities so that silence may no
more mask the ringing alarms of rapidly rising infection rates.
I hope that our inner human spirits will move us to a place and time
where we no longer turn our heads and close our eyes to those
communities who need our help the most. We must find the strength to
look past our fears and find compassion to create a world where no man,
woman or child is confronted with the perils of this current AIDS
crisis.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the goal of NBHAAD to motivate
African-Americans to get tested and know their HIV status; get educated
about the transmission modes of HIV/AIDS; get involved in their local
community; and get treated if they are currently living with HIV or are
newly diagnosed.
Let me take this moment to recognize a major inspiration for NBHAAD,
Mr. Louis E. Harris, 1947-2003, who passed away in January 2003 due to
complications with bladder cancer. Mr. Harris served as the executive
director of Concerned Black Men, Inc. of Philadelphia during NBHAAD's
conception. His work and dedication will be missed along with his kind
and warm words of encouragement. It is hoped that NBHAAD will continue
to build the capacity of community based organizations, CBOs, as well
as community stake holders to increase awareness, prevent HIV and
get those who need treatment into care. I applaud the efforts of NBHAAD
advocates to:
1. Increase reporting of accurate up-to-date statistics on the HIV
and AIDS epidemic among Blacks by electronic and print media, radio and
television stations;
2. Increase collaboration and sharing of resources at the national
and local levels;
3. Increase resources and support including capacity building
assistance for health departments, community based organizations and
stakeholders serving Black communities; and
4. Increase the number of Blacks at high risk for acquiring HIV that
receive HIV counseling, testing and other HIV prevention, treatment and
care services.
Observance of this day provides an opportunity for governments,
national AIDS programs, churches, community organizations and
individuals to demonstrate the importance of the fight against HIV/
AIDS. Though funding for research is an important key to tackling the
tragic devastation of HIV/AIDS in our communities, I realize that
providing funding for research alone is simply not sufficient to
eradicate the high rates of HIV/AIDS cases within the African-American
community. We must also provide funding for prevention and education.
Billions and billions of private and Federal dollars have been poured
into drug research and development to treat and ``manage'' infections,
but the complex life cycle and insane mutation rates of HIV strains
have made these efforts futile in the fight to remove HIV/AIDS as a
global public health threat. Though the drugs we currently have are
effective in managing infections and reducing mortality by slowing the
progression to AIDS in an individual, they do little to reduce disease
prevalence and prevent new infections.
A thousand drugs that ``manage'' infection will not suffice. We can
make and market drugs until we have 42 million individually tailored
treatments, but so long as a quarter of those infected remain detached
from the importance of testing, we have no chance of ending or even
``managing'' the pandemic. Currently, the only cure we have for HIV/
AIDS is prevention. While we must continue efforts to develop advanced
treatment options, it is crucial that those efforts are accompanied by
dramatic increases in public health education and prevention measures.
During my time in office, I have fully and eagerly supported all
legislation that has given increased attention to HIV/AIDS, including
the Ryan White CARE Act, which is currently slated to receive about
$2.2 billion in funding for FY2007. I have supported legislation to
reauthorize funding for community health centers--H.R. 5573, Health
Centers Renewal Act of 2006--including the Montrose and Fourth Ward
clinics right here in Houston, as well as supported legislation to
provide more nurses for the poor urban communities in which many of
these centers are located--H.R. 1285, Nursing Relief Act for
Disadvantaged Areas. I have also supported and introduced legislation
aimed to better educate our children--H.R. 2553, Responsible Education
About Life Act in 2006) and eliminate health disparities--H.R. 3561,
Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act and the Good Medicine
Cultural Competency Act in 2003, H.R. 90. And I will continue to
endorse and push for similar legislation.
Twenty-five years from now, I hope that we will not be discussing
data on prevalence and mortality, but rather how our sustained efforts
at elimination have come into fruition. But if we are ever to have that
discussion, there are a number of actions that we must take right now.
We must continue research on treatments and antiretroviral therapies,
as well as pursue a cure. And we absolutely have to ensure that
everyone who needs treatment receives it. In order to do this, we have
to increase awareness of testing, access to testing, and the accuracy
of testing. How can we stop this pandemic if we are unable to track it?
We must also increase funding for local health departments and
community health clinics, as well as fully fund the Ryan White CARE
Act. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, it is imperative that we
work to increase funding for HIV prevention and education, so that our
children will be equipped with sufficient and appropriate knowledge of
this growing threat within our communities, especially within our Black
communities and among Black women. If Blacks are 11 times as likely to
acquire infection, then we need to make 11 times the effort to educate.
And we need to apply similar efforts in every community until HIV/AIDS
becomes a memory. If not, our friends and family will be memories
instead.
I would like to take a moment to applaud the enormous efforts of
community volunteers from churches and other organizations which have
done commendable work across our Nation. I think everyone can learn
something from their selflessness and their will to serve their
communities. We need more people to follow their lead. We do not have
time for excuses or hesitation. We have the passion and dedication, and
we are securing more and more resources. It is up to us to get the
resources where they are needed. I know a lot of people don't want to
take things seriously until it hits home; until a brother or a sister
or a son or a daughter falls victim to our blithe and ignorance. We
cannot afford nor do we want to bear that cost; however, if we continue
to sit by and wait for the next person to act, we may all have brothers
and sisters and sons and daughters with HIV/AIDS.
We need to be proactive and act with unprecedented urgency. Now is
not the time to get comfortable. If you feel like you're getting
comfortable, just remember that there is a face to every number, to
every statistic. This is not a hypothetical or theoretical or
metaphysical phenomenon. There are no imaginary numbers in this
equation; only real people. And I am confident that we can protect and
save real people with increased efforts.
I will continue work tirelessly to keep the spotlight on this dark
disease that is devastating many people in the African-American
community, United States and around the world. My hope is that all of
our efforts will lead to the elimination of HIV and AIDS not just from
the African-American community but from every community. I urge my
colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 35 supporting the goals of National
Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in
favor of H. Con. Res. 35, in support of the seventh anniversary of
goals and ideals of National Blacks HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
This concurrent resolution will raise awareness about HIV/AIDS within
the African American community and will point out the devastating
impact this disease has on African American communities.
This day is a part of a national mobilization effort to get African
Americans to learn about the threat that HIV/AIDS poses to the African
American community.
The National Blacks HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a day to remember those
infected and affected by this epidemic. Since the beginning of this
epidemic, 42 percent of all deaths occurred within the African American
community.
Dallas accounts for one of the top 26 cities where African Americans
are disproportionately impacted by AIDS.
From 2000 to 2005, more than half of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 32
states were among African Americans, although African Americans
represented only 13 percent of the population of those states.
In 2004, black men had the highest rate of HIV/AIDS diagnoses of any
racial/ethnic population, approximately seven times the rate among
white men and twice the rate among black women.
Black women are also severely impacted by HIV. During 2000-2004,
approximately 69 percent of women who had HIV/AIDS diagnosed were
black.
We must take the lead in supporting National Blacks HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day. We must continue to educate/prevent and care for our
members who have been affected by this atrocious epidemic and continue
the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this important
resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day.
HIV/AIDS is one of the worst epidemics we have ever seen in the
United States. More than 900,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in
the US since 1981. Nearly 1,000,000 people may be infected with HIV,
one quarter of them is unaware about their infection.
In my hometown New York City more than 100,000 people are living with
HIV. Approximately 1 in 70 New Yorkers is infected with HIV.
[[Page H1167]]
Statistics just help us to number the dimension of HIV/AIDS in our
country but every single number reflects more, reflects the life and
the living with HIV/AIDS of one of our fellow citizen.
While we are far away from curing AIDS, science has made enormous
progress.
Today, we can say that early and correct treatment enables people to
live longer and to live with HIV/AIDS more as a chronic illness than a
definitive death sentence.
Even with these opportunities, we face new challenges.
The African-American community is disproportionately affected by HIV/
AIDS.
According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene, black women are 9 times more likely to die of AIDS than white
women; black men in New York City are 6 times more likely to die of
AIDS than white men.
This is another sign of the massive health disparities that exist in
our nation. We need to work together, all of us in Congress, to address
and eliminate the disparities in health and health care between the
people of our country.
That is why I strongly support the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day, celebrated on February, 7.
The goal of this day is clear to all of us: We have to fight against
both the stigma and the spread of HIV/AIDS in our African-American
community, and I would add, in every American community.
Groups like Bronx AIDS Services and the AIDS Center of Queens County
do excellent work, but we in Washington need to back them up with the
right support.
This includes full funding for Ryan White, ensuring the housing needs
of those afflicted are met through the HOPWA program, and eliminating
the stigmas attached to the illness.
We also need to allow each community group to speak to and target
those at greatest risk of exposure in the most effective ways possible.
But overall, we know that educating about and against HIV/AIDS,
engaging in safe sex, and getting tested are the main elements of
comprehensive prevention efforts.
Closing, I like to emphasize the importance of the National Black
HIV/AIDS Awareness Day by quoting its goals:
Get tested to know about your HIV status.
Get educated about HIV/AIDS.
Get involved in your local community.
Get treated if you are currently living with HIV.
It is these missions that we must work to achieve.
I thank the gentle lady for her resolution.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, reports have been coming out since the
HIV/AIDS epidemic first surfaced in the United States more than 25
years ago and every year, they have--and continue to--report the same
findings: Since the beginning, this epidemic has had--and continues to
have--a disproportionate and detrimental impact on the African American
community. In fact, over time, the impact of the epidemic on the Black
community has gotten worse, leaving African Americans--more so than any
other population group--hardest hit by HIV/AIDS at every stage of life.
Today, African Americans--who are represented in about 13 percent of
the U.S. population--account for more than 40 percent of all
individuals currently living with AIDS and nearly 50 percent of all new
HIV infections. More than 7 in 10 children born to women infected with
HIV are African American and the AIDS case rate among African Americans
is nearly ten times higher than that among whites. Additionally,
African Americans account for 40 percent of all AIDS deaths. In fact,
African Americans are 7 times more likely than whites to die from an
AIDS-related causes.
Particularly affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic are African American
women, who are represented in roughly 7 in 10 new AIDS cases among
women and who are an estimated 25 times more likely than white women to
be infected with HIV. In fact, in 2002, AIDS was the leading cause of
death for African-American women, aged 25 to 34 years of age.
Mr. Speaker, this epidemic has and continues to kill African
Americans during their most productive life years, robbing them of
their opportunity to follow their dreams, pursue their destinies and
contribute not only to their communities, but to our society. As a
physician who has seen--first hand--what the HIV/AIDS epidemic does not
only to the people it afflicts, but to their families, friends, and
communities, and given the incidence and prevalence numbers, the
unnecessary, often-premature deaths, and the unbelievable toll that
this epidemic has in the African American community, I feel strongly
that the time has come for us to do more. We can do more, and we must.
I, therefore, rise today in strong and unwavering support of H. Con.
Res. 35, which supports the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day. Recognized on February 7, National Black HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day--which reaches its 7th anniversary of being observed this
year--is a critically important day because it raises awareness about
the disastrous impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the African American
community.
We all should support H. Con. Res. 35 and on February 7, 2007, we
should observe National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in a manner that
is consistent with its intent. We should publicize the importance of
being informed about HIV/AIDS and about ones HIV status, and we should
encourage our friends in the media to deliver messages stressing the
importance of getting educated, involved and tested. Additionally, I
urge all of my colleagues, on February 7 and beyond, to: encourage de-
stigmatization of the disease among African Americans; expand voluntary
testing because knowledge is power; work to reduce the social
determinants of health--such as poverty and lack of education--that put
people at greater risk for HIV infection; ensure that incarcerated and
ex-offender populations have access to adequate and realistic HIV
prevention methods, receive voluntary and confidential HIV testing and,
if necessary, are rolled into adequate HIV/AIDS-related care, treatment
and services; expand access to culturally appropriate substance abuse
prevention programs, as well as to drug treatment and recovery
services; and create the necessary political to fully fund the Minority
AIDS Initiative in the amount of at least $610 million in order to
target needed funds to build capacity in minority communities to give
those who are hardest hit by HIV/AIDS a fighting chance.
Mr. Speaker, our new political climate has brought us a new day. As
the Chair of the CBC Health Braintrust, I am asking all of my
colleagues to seize that new day and to support H. Con. Res. 35, to
observe National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7 and to use
it as a day to commit to act with cognizance of the impact that this
epidemic has on the African American community.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of National Black
HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and to show my support for its goals and ideals.
Domestically, the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States continues to
have a disproportionate impact on African Americans in terms of
illness, survival times, and deaths. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death
for African Americans.
Each year, the 7th of February marks National Black HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day, a national community-wide effort to build capacity and
increase awareness of HIV prevention, testing, education, treatment,
and support among African Americans, who are at greater risk of HIV/
AIDS infection. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day reminds us of the
uneven effect of HIV/AIDS on African Americans and provides us with an
opportunity to renew our commitment to the promise of finding a cure.
We must do more than just bring attention to this epidemic. We must
also remain vigilantly committed to prevention programs and to finding
a cure for HIV/AIDS.
I invite people throughout the Nation to learn more about HIV/AIDS. I
urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.
{time} 1515
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 35, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those voting have responded in the affirmative.
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
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