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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1605 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1605

                Supporting the goals of World AIDS Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 3, 2024

   Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. 
  McGovern, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Moore of 
 Wisconsin, Ms. Barragan, Ms. McClellan, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Fitzpatrick, 
Mr. Cohen, Ms. Balint, Ms. McCollum, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Norton, Ms. Kelly 
of Illinois, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Vargas, 
Mr. Swalwell, and Mr. Carson) submitted the following resolution; which 
 was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition 
 to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
                Supporting the goals of World AIDS Day.

Whereas, as of the end of 2023, an estimated 39,900,000 people were living with 
        human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome 
        (AIDS), including 1,400,000 children;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 790,000 people with AIDS have died 
        since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, including over 19,000 deaths 
        among people with diagnosed HIV in 2022, with the disease 
        disproportionately affecting communities of color;
Whereas, in 2022, over 37,000 people became newly diagnosed with HIV in the 
        United States;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (``CDC''), 
        Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, 
        Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders are 
        disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States;
Whereas, in order to address the HIV epidemic in the United States, on August 
        18, 1990, Congress enacted the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources 
        Emergency Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-381; commonly referred to as the 
        ``Ryan White CARE Act'') to provide primary medical care and essential 
        support services for people living with HIV who are uninsured or 
        underinsured;
Whereas the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides services and support for over 
        half of all people diagnosed with HIV in the United States;
Whereas to further focus attention on the HIV/AIDS epidemic among minority 
        communities in the United States, in 1998, the Minority AIDS Initiative 
        was established to provide funds to State and local institutions and 
        organizations to best serve the needs of racial and ethnic minorities 
        living with HIV;
Whereas, since 2016, the historic U=U (Undetectable=Untransmittable) movement 
        has positively impacted the lives of people living with HIV by promoting 
        the scientific facts;
Whereas when people living with HIV are on treatment and have an undetectable 
        viral load, they protect their own health and they cannot transmit HIV;
Whereas, in 2022, the Federal Government across sectors (including the White 
        House, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention (``CDC'')) has publicly announced support 
        for the U=U movement in hopes of positively changing the trajectory of 
        HIV in the United States;
Whereas the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals established a global 
        target to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030;
Whereas, in order to further address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, in 2003, 
        Congress and the White House created the President's Emergency Plan for 
        AIDS Relief (PEPFAR);
Whereas the PEPFAR program remains the largest commitment in history by any 
        country to combat a single disease;
Whereas 25,000,000 lives have been saved through PEPFAR;
Whereas, as of September 30, 2023, PEPFAR has supported treatment for 
        approximately 20,000,000 people, and has enabled 5,500,000 infants of 
        mothers living with HIV to be born HIV-free;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2023, PEPFAR directly supported HIV testing and 
        counseling for 71,000 people;
Whereas sustained bipartisan commitment is essential for PEPFAR to continue 
        saving lives, preventing new HIV infections, and accelerating progress 
        toward controlling the global HIV/AIDS pandemic;
Whereas the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, launched in 
        2002, has helped provide antiretroviral therapy to approximately 
        25,000,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and to 695,000 pregnant women to 
        prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS to their children, saving an 
        estimated 65,000,000 lives, as of 2023;
Whereas the United States is the largest donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
        Tuberculosis and Malaria, and every $1 contributed by the United States 
        leverages an additional $2 from other donors, as required by law;
Whereas considerable progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, 
        including a nearly 40-percent reduction in new HIV transmissions, a 60-
        percent reduction in new HIV transmissions among children, and a 
        reduction of over 50 percent in the number of AIDS-related deaths 
        between 2010 and 2023;
Whereas, approximately 30,700,000 people had access to antiretroviral therapy in 
        2023, compared to only 7,800,000 people who had access to such therapy 
        in 2010;
Whereas research funded by the National Institutes of Health found not only that 
        HIV treatment saves the lives of people living with HIV, but people 
        living with HIV on effective antiretroviral therapy and who are durably 
        virally suppressed cannot sexually transmit HIV, proving that HIV 
        treatment is prevention;
Whereas it is estimated that, without treatment, half of all infants living with 
        HIV will die before their second birthday;
Whereas children living with HIV are significantly less likely than adults to 
        know their HIV status and be accessing life-saving treatment;
Whereas the CDC states that preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduces HIV 
        transmission through sexual contact by 99 percent when taken as 
        prescribed, proving that PrEP is critical for HIV prevention;
Whereas nearly 4,000,000 people globally had started taking PrEP by the end of 
        2022;
Whereas an estimated 1,200,000 people in the United States could benefit from 
        access to PrEP in 2024 and there are major disparities in access based 
        on race and ethnicity;
Whereas the CDC began a pilot PrEP Program in 5 jurisdictions in 2024 and the 
        Administration has called for institution of a National PrEP Program to 
        further the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030;
Whereas, despite the remarkable progress in combating HIV, significant 
        challenges remain;
Whereas there were approximately 1,300,000 new HIV diagnoses in 2023 globally, 
        structural barriers continue to make testing and treatment programs 
        inaccessible to highly vulnerable populations, and an estimated 
        5,400,000 people living with HIV globally still do not know their HIV 
        status;
Whereas the CDC reports that over 35,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the 
        United States in 2021, and 13 percent of the 1,200,000 people in the 
        United States living with HIV are not aware of their HIV status;
Whereas the CDC has found that men who have sex with men, particularly young 
        Black Americans and Hispanics, are the population most affected by HIV 
        in the United States;
Whereas southern areas of the United States bear the greatest burden of HIV, 
        accounting for 52 percent of new infections in 2021;
Whereas globally transgender feminine individuals are 66 times more likely and 
        transgender masculine individuals are 6.8 times more likely to be 
        diagnosed with HIV compared to the general adult population;
Whereas one in two people living with HIV in the United States is over 50;
Whereas people living with HIV are frequently susceptible to other infections, 
        such as hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis;
Whereas the opioid and heroin epidemics have led to increased numbers of new HIV 
        transmissions among people who inject drugs, and the crisis has 
        disproportionately affected nonurban areas, where HIV prevalence rates 
        have been low historically and there are limited services for HIV 
        prevention, treatment, and substance use disorder treatment;
Whereas harm reduction interventions such as syringe services programs have been 
        shown to help prevent HIV transmission and lower rates of overdose;
Whereas December 1 of each year is internationally recognized as ``World AIDS 
        Day'';
Whereas the PEPFAR program, an initiative launched by President George W. Bush 
        with bipartisan support has for over two decades served as the primary 
        policy instrument of the United States to address HIV/AIDS globally; and
Whereas, in 2024, commemorations for World AIDS Day recognize the essential role 
        of communities in the global HIV/AIDS response: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) encourages people around the world to work to achieve 
        the goal of zero new HIV transmissions, zero discrimination, 
        and zero AIDS-related deaths by 2030 and specifically to 
        achieve the bipartisan goal of ending the HIV epidemic in the 
        United States and around the world;
            (2) encourages Federal, State, and local governments, 
        including their public health agencies, and community-based 
        organizations to share and disseminate U=U (Undetectable equals 
        Untransmittable) information and preexposure prophylaxis 
        information;
            (3) commends the efforts and achievements in combating HIV/
        AIDS through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 
        2009 (Public Law 111-87), the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, the 
        Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program, the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National 
        Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
        Services Administration, the Office of Minority Health, and the 
        Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
            (4) commends the efforts and achievements in combating HIV/
        AIDS made by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief 
        (``PEPFAR''), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and 
        Malaria, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS;
            (5) supports robust funding for prevention, care, and 
        treatment services, and research programs for communities 
        impacted by HIV and people living with HIV in the United States 
        and globally;
            (6) urges, in order to ensure that an AIDS-free generation 
        is achievable, rapid action by all countries toward further 
        expansion and scale-up of testing and antiretroviral treatment 
        programs, including efforts to reduce growing disparities and 
        improve access for children to life-saving medications;
            (7) encourages the scaling up of comprehensive prevention 
        services, including biomedical and structural interventions and 
        a National PrEP Program, to ensure inclusive access to programs 
        and appropriate resources for all people at risk of contracting 
        HIV, especially in communities disproportionately impacted as 
        these groups make up the majority of new HIV diagnoses in the 
        United States and prevention efforts should specifically reach 
        these groups;
            (8) calls for greater focus on the HIV-related 
        vulnerabilities of women and girls, including women and girls 
        at risk for or who have survived violence or faced 
        discrimination as a result of the disease, such as through the 
        implementation of layered prevention programming through 
        PEPFAR's DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, 
        Mentored, and Safe) public-private partnership to reduce 
        structural and individual vulnerabilities to HIV;
            (9) supports continued leadership by the United States in 
        domestic, bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts 
        to fight HIV;
            (10) encourages input from civil society in the development 
        and implementation of domestic and global HIV policies and 
        programs that guide the response with specific measures for 
        transparency and accountability;
            (11) encourages and supports greater degrees of ownership 
        and shared responsibility by developing countries in order to 
        ensure the sustainability of the domestic responses to HIV by 
        those countries; and
            (12) urges other members of the international community to 
        sustain and scale up their support for and financial 
        contributions to efforts around the world to combat HIV.
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