[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 154 (Thursday, October 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS TREATMENT EXTENSION ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 21, 2009

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to praise the passage of S. 1793, the 
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. On behalf of the 
hundreds of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS who rely on the Ryan 
White Program, I would like to express my appreciation to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce and to the Members of the U.S. House for having 
voted in favor of extending this important program for four more years. 
The Ryan White Program is the largest federally funded program for 
people living with HIV/AIDS. It funds programs to improve availability 
of care for low-income, uninsured and under-insured people with HIV/
AIDS, and it provides funding and technical assistance to local and 
state primary medical care providers, support services, healthcare 
providers, and training programs.
  HIV/AIDS is one of the fastest expanding epidemics in the United 
States, affecting more than 1 million people in the country. Over 
530,000 low-income people with HIV/AIDS depend on the services provided 
through the Ryan White program. In my home of New York City, as of June 
30, 2008, 104,234 people have been diagnosed and reported to be living 
with HIV/AIDS, including 63,899 living with AIDS. There are 
approximately 32,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City that 
use Ryan White Part A services for medical treatment, support services, 
and other care that they would not otherwise be able to afford. People 
with the disease and care providers will benefit greatly from the 
extension of this program. There is a growing demand for these services 
because of the increase in infected people; I am pleased that this bill 
includes an increase in the authorization level for the program by 5 
percent every year for the next four years.
  The bill passed with strong support from both parties, in a 408 to 9 
vote, and it will now go to the President's desk for signing into law. 
This is a great accomplishment.
  Again, I am pleased that this great body understands the importance 
of this program and will fund it for another four years, but let us 
please keep in mind that more still needs to be done to end this 
pandemic.

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