[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FIGHTING HIV/AIDS

  (Mr. WATT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WATT. Mr. Speaker, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus 
have throughout a long period of time led the fight against HIV and 
AIDS by insisting on the creation of a global fund to attack it 
internationally, insisting that we address the issue here in the United 
States, and that we take it as a serious proposition. Unfortunately, as 
we have been addressing it, it has grown to epidemic proportions in the 
African-American community here right in our own backyard.
  And so we will have today a series of speakers coming to address that 
issue from the Congressional Black Caucus because we think it is time 
for the United States to declare a state of emergency and we are intent 
on taking the lead ourselves on this issue to dramatize it in our own 
communities, to talk about it, to be tested ourselves, to insist on 
mandatory testing, and support some new initiatives that will address 
this problem and get it in control in this country.

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