[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 172 (Thursday, December 1, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H7069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WORLD AIDS DAY

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate World AIDS Day. The 
theme this year is ``Leadership, Commitment, Impact.''
  First, I would like to thank Leader Pelosi for her steadfast 
commitment to fighting HIV and AIDS, and for guaranteeing strong United 
States leadership in this area. Also, to the Congressional Black Caucus 
for its leadership in the establishment of PEPFAR, which was a 
bipartisan effort that President Bush signed into law.
  As the cofounder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional HIV/
AIDS Caucus, with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman 
McDermott, we have seen significant progress that we have made in the 
global fight against AIDS. From PEPFAR and the Global Fund to fight 
AIDS, TB, and malaria, to the Ryan White Care Act and the Minority AIDS 
Initiative led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, year after year we have 
committed critical resources to end this disease.
  Partly due to our efforts, 18.2 million people around the world are 
now living on antiretroviral drugs, and 37 million lives have been 
saved. But much work remains, which must continue to be bipartisan.
  Still, stigma and discrimination prevents too many people from 
seeking testing and treatment. Around the world, countries criminalize 
LGBT people and prevent them from accessing critical HIV care. Here in 
the United States, we preserve stigma through outdated, unscientific 
laws that criminalize HIV in over 30 States.
  We must end these laws and repeal the discrimination laws against 
people.

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