[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 39 (Monday, October 4, 1993)]
[Pages 1941-1942]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on AIDS

 September 30, 1993

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject: AIDS at Work

    Halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and caring for those already touched 
by the disease is our common responsibility. Sadly, if you do not know 
someone with HIV/AIDS, you soon will. Every 17 minutes an American dies

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of AIDS; one of every five Americans knows someone who has died of AIDS; 
over one million Americans are already infected with HIV.
    HIV/AIDS affects everyone in this Nation. Preventing the spread of 
HIV/AIDS and its associated human and economic costs is crucial to the 
success of health care reform. Likewise, enlightened, nondiscriminatory 
workplace policies are essential to both our efforts at reinventing 
government and at lowering health costs. This Administration and this 
Nation must do all within our power to prevent discrimination against 
those infected with HIV. I am committed to facing the difficult issues 
raised by HIV/AIDS.
    This is an Administration of action and leadership by example. 
Today's Cabinet meeting discussion of HIV/AIDS is the beginning. All of 
you are asked to develop and fully implement comprehensive HIV/AIDS 
workplace policies and employee education and prevention programs by 
World AIDS Day, 1994, beginning with your Senior Staff.
    To begin this process:
<bullet>    Each Cabinet Secretary shall designate a member of his/her 
            Senior Staff to implement ongoing HIV/AIDS education and 
            prevention programs and to develop nondiscriminatory 
            workplace policies for employees with HIV/AIDS.
<bullet>    These designees, with the Office of the National AIDS Policy 
            Coordinator (ONAPC), shall form a working group to implement 
            this directive.
<bullet>    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shall review its 
            current HIV/AIDS workplace guidelines and assist in the 
            development of workplace policies in the departments and 
            agencies, as directed by ONAPC. OPM should pay particular 
            attention to ensuring that the administrative burden on the 
            departments and agencies is minimized.
<bullet>    The National AIDS Policy Coordinator shall report to me 
            quarterly on the progress of each department and agency, 
            beginning January 1, 1994.
<bullet>    The White House Staff and the Staff of the Executive Office 
            of the President (EOP) will participate in HIV/AIDS 
            education and prevention training prior to World AIDS Day, 
            December 1, 1993.
    HIV/AIDS is the health crisis of this century; it cannot be allowed 
to extend into the next. Only through education and prevention can we 
stop its spread. Only through aggressive and coordinated efforts at 
medical research can we find a cure. Join me on World AIDS Day, 1993, to 
remember the hundreds of thousands of American dead and the millions of 
Americans infected or suffering because of this disease; help me to 
vividly demonstrate this Administration's commitment to end the HIV/AIDS 
epidemic.
                                            William J. Clinton