III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 103 

Recognizing the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Minority AIDS 

Initiative. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Mrs. CLINTON submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 10th anniversary of the establishment of 

the Minority AIDS Initiative. 

Whereas the Minority AIDS Initiative was established on October 28, 1998, under the leadership of the Congressional 

Black Caucus, during the chairmanship of Representative 

Maxine Waters, to target funds for the awareness, prevention, testing, and treatment of human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome 

(HIV/AIDS) toward racial and ethnic minority communities and toward community-based organizations and 

health care providers serving these communities; 

Whereas HIV/AIDS is a devastating epidemic that continues 

to grow in communities throughout the United States; 

Whereas there are more than 1,000,000 people living with 

HIV/AIDS in the United States today; 


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•SCON 103 IS 

Whereas there are more than 14,000 AIDS-related deaths 

every year in the United States; 

Whereas approximately 1 in 4 of the people living with HIV/ 

AIDS in the United States do not know they are infected; 

Whereas all racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas African-Americans account for about 1⁄2 of new 

AIDS cases, although approximately 13 percent of the 

population as a whole is Black, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that African-Americans accounted for 45 percent of new HIV infections in 2006; 

Whereas Hispanic-Americans account for 19 percent of new 

AIDS cases, although only 15 percent of the population 

as a whole is Hispanic, and the CDC estimates that Hispanic-Americans accounted for 17 percent of new HIV 

infections in 2006; 

Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 

1 percent of new AIDS cases, and Native Americans and 

Alaska Natives account for up to 1 percent of new AIDS 

cases; 

Whereas approximately 70 percent of new AIDS cases are racial and ethnic minorities; 

Whereas, in 2008, the CDC released new estimates of HIV 

infection, which indicate that approximately 56,300 new 

HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006; 

Whereas these new estimates are approximately 40 percent 

higher than the CDC’s previous estimates of 40,000 new 

infections per year; 


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•SCON 103 IS 

Whereas the CDC’s data confirms that the most severe impact of HIV/AIDS continues to be among gay and bisexual men of all races, and Black men and women; 

Whereas the purpose of the Minority AIDS Initiative is to enable community-based organizations and health care providers in minority communities to improve their capacity 

to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate HIV/ 

AIDS care and services; 

Whereas the establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative 

was announced on October 28, 1998, during a ‘‘roll-out’’ 

event sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus, 

which featured the participation of President Bill Clinton, 

Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, 

Representative Maxine Waters, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and representatives of HIV/AIDS 

service and advocacy organizations; 

Whereas it was announced at this roll-out that the Minority 

AIDS Initiative would receive an initial appropriation of 

$156,000,000 in fiscal year 1999; 

Whereas concerned Members of Congress, including members 

of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional 

Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Conference, 

continue to support the Minority AIDS Initiative; 

Whereas the Minority AIDS Initiative continues to provide 

funding to community-based organizations, research institutions, minority-serving colleges and universities, 

health care organizations, State and local health departments, correctional institutions, and other providers of 

health information and services to help such entities adVerDate Aug 31 2005 07:42 Sep 25, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SC103.IS SC103

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dress the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the minority populations they serve; 

Whereas Congress codified the Minority AIDS Initiative within the most recent reauthorization of the Ryan White 

CARE Act; 

Whereas the Minority AIDS Initiative fills gaps in HIV/AIDS 

outreach, awareness, prevention, treatment, surveillance, 

and infrastructure across communities of color; and 

Whereas, October 28, 2008, is the 10th anniversary of the 

establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That the Senate— 

3 (1) recognizes and commemorates the 10th an4 niversary of the establishment of the Minority AIDS 

5 Initiative; 

6 (2) commends the efforts of community-based 

7 organizations and health care providers in minority 

8 communities to deliver culturally and linguistically 

9 appropriate human immunodeficiency virus and ac10 quired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) 

11 care and services within the minority populations 

12 they serve; 

13 (3) encourages racial and ethnic minorities to 

14 educate themselves about the prevention and treat15 ment of HIV/AIDS and reduce the stigma associated 

16 with HIV/AIDS; and 


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1 (4) supports the continued funding of the Mi2 nority AIDS Initiative and other Federal programs 

3 to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and to provide ef4 fective, compassionate treatment and care to individ5 uals affected by HIV/AIDS. 

Æ 


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