IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 262 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness 

Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 6, 2017 

Ms. LEE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV 

& AIDS Awareness Day. 

Whereas National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day is a 

nationwide observance that calls on people to take action 

to invest in the health, education, and leadership of 

young people; 

Whereas more than 30 years into the epidemic, the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 

in the United States more than 1,200,000 people are living with HIV, and every year approximately 39,000 people acquire HIV; 

Whereas in the United States, almost 40 percent of new HIV 

infections are young people ages 13 to 20; 


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•HRES 262 IH 

Whereas young people ages 13 to 24 account for one in five 

of the estimated 39,000 new HIV cases diagnosed each 

year in the United States; 

Whereas 44 percent of HIV-positive youth do not know they 

carry the HIV virus; 

Whereas African-American youth bear a disproportionate 

burden of the epidemic, representing 56 percent of new 

infections in young people; 

Whereas young African-American men who have sex with 

men (MSM) ages 13 to 24 comprise 55 percent of new 

infections among all Black males; 

Whereas the Division of Adolescent and School Health 

(DASH) is the only Federal program supporting HIV 

prevention for adolescents in schools; 

Whereas the Nation’s largest Federal program dedicated to 

providing care and treatment for people living with HIV 

was named after Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana 

who helped educate a Nation about HIV and AIDS in the 

1980s; 

Whereas the Ryan White Part D Program is one of the national efforts to link HIV-positive youth to medical care 

and support services; 

Whereas the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 

(PPACA) provides youth, including those at risk for and 

living with HIV/AIDS, better access to health care coverage, more health insurance options, additional funding 

for sex education, a prohibition against denying people 

living with HIV access to health care and expanded access to Medicaid which will help more HIV-positive youth 

receive care; and 


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•HRES 262 IH 

Whereas April 10 of each year is now recognized as National 

Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 

3 Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day; 

4 (2) encourages State and local governments, in5 cluding their public health agencies, education agen6 cies, schools, and media organizations to recognize 

7 and support such a day; 

8 (3) promotes effective and comprehensive HIV 

9 prevention education programs both in and out of 

10 schools as a tool to ensure that all people in the 

11 United States are educated about HIV, as called for 

12 in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy; 

13 (4) urges youth-friendly and accessible health 

14 care services to better provide for the early identi15 fication of HIV through voluntary routine testing, 

16 and to connect those in need to clinically and cul17 turally appropriate care and treatment as early as 

18 possible; 

19 (5) commends the work of AIDS service organi20 zations, community and faith-based organizations, 

21 and school-based health centers that are providing 

22 youth-friendly, effective, prevention, treatment, care, 


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•HRES 262 IH 

1 and support services to young people living with and 

2 vulnerable to HIV/AIDS; 

3 (6) recognizes the importance of interventions 

4 that address young people’s structural barriers to 

5 living healthy lives, including accessible health care, 

6 safe and inclusive schools and communities, family 

7 acceptance, secure housing, excellent education, em8 ployment and legal protections, and poverty reduc9 tion initiatives; 

10 (7) prioritizes youth leadership and develop11 ment in order to ensure youth involvement in deci12 sions which impact their health and well-being as a 

13 necessary means to achieving an AIDS-free genera14 tion; 

15 (8) requires the full implementation of the Na16 tional HIV/AIDS Strategy and its goals to reduce 

17 new HIV infections, increase access to care and im18 prove health outcomes for people living with HIV, 

19 reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities, 

20 and achieve a more coordinated national response to 

21 the HIV/AIDS epidemic; 

22 (9) recommends a comprehensive prevention 

23 and treatment strategy that empowers young people, 

24 parents, public health workers, educators, faith lead25 ers, and other stakeholders to fully engage with their 


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•HRES 262 IH 

1 communities and families to help decrease violence, 

2 discrimination, and stigma towards individuals who 

3 disclose their sexual orientation or HIV status; and 

4 (10) calls for an AIDS-free generation that 

5 prioritizes youth leadership and development in 

6 order to ensure youth involvement in decisions which 

7 impact their health and well-being as well as ad8 vance a pipeline for the next generation of HIV/ 

9 AIDS doctors, advocates, educators, researchers, 

10 and other professionals. 

Æ 


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