IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 265 

Supporting the goals and ideals of World AIDS Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 4, 2007 

Ms. LEE (for herself, Mr. WAXMAN, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. MURPHY of 

Connecticut, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. 

NORTON, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. MEEKS of New 

York, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. ISRAEL, 

Mr. RUSH, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. STARK, and Ms. 

MCCOLLUM of Minnesota) submitted the following concurrent 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 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of World AIDS Day. 

Whereas globally, the Joint United Nations Programme on 

HIV/AIDS (‘‘UNAIDS’’) estimates that since the identification of AIDS in 1981, about 65,000,000 people have 

been infected with HIV, and more than 25,000,000 people have died of AIDS; 

Whereas UNAIDS estimated that at the end of 2007, the 

AIDS pandemic had killed 2,100,000 people while 

33,200,000 people were living with HIV worldwide and of 

whom 2,500,000 people were newly infected; 


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Whereas UNAIDS estimates that in 2007, 330,000 children 

under the age of 15 died from AIDS, while 2,500,000 

children were living with HIV, 90 percent of whom reside 

in Sub-Saharan Africa; 

Whereas UNAIDS estimates that each day 1,800 children 

under the age of 15 become newly infected with HIV and 

only 8 percent of pregnant women worldwide receive services to prevent HIV transmission to their newborns; 

Whereas globally, women are facing rising incidence rates, accounting for 15,400,000 infections and half of the adult 

population living with HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas developing countries continue to bear the brunt of 

the AIDS pandemic with Sub-Saharan Africa serving as 

the home of 68 percent of all adults and children living 

with HIV, 60 percent are women and girls; 

Whereas in the United States, the Center for Disease Control 

and Prevention (‘‘CDC’’) estimates that over one million 

people are living with HIV/AIDS, of whom 25 percent do 

not know they are infected; 

Whereas despite the fact that African-Americans comprise 

approximately 13 percent of the American population, the 

CDC estimates that in 2005 they accounted for 44 percent of all persons living with AIDS and 49 percent of 

the estimated 37,331 new HIV/AIDS diagnosis; 

Whereas the CDC estimates that in 2005 women represented 

26 percent of all new HIV/AIDS infections with AfricanAmerican women 25 times more likely to be infected than 

white women and accounting for 64 percent of all women 

living with HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas according to the CDC, in 2005, 4,883 people age 

13–24 were newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, with AfriVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:22 Dec 05, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC265.IH HC265

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can-Americans disproportionately affected and accounting 

for 55 percent of all HIV infections reported among 

young persons; 

Whereas in order to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 

United States, in 2006 the Ryan White CARE Act was 

reauthorized as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment 

Modernization Act, making Federal funds available to 

United States metropolitan areas, States, and service 

providers to assist affected families and persons living 

with HIV/AIDS with healthcare and support services; 

Whereas to further focus attention on the HIV/AIDS epidemic among minority communities in the United States, 

in 1998, Congress and the Clinton administration created 

the Minority AIDS Initiative to provide funds to State 

and local institutions and organization to best serve the 

healthcare costs and support needs of racial and ethnic 

minorities living with HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, in 2000, 

Congress passed the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act, providing the first contribution and the founding 

framework for what became the Global Fund to Fight 

AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which provides grants 

to developing countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria; 

Whereas since the Global Fund was created in 2002 donors 

have pledged more than $10,000,000,000 in funding, of 

which $3,000,000,000 has been donated by the United 

States; 

Whereas as of mid-2007, the Global Fund has supported 

treatment to over 1,100,000 people for HIV/AIDS, directly observed treatment (‘‘DOTS’’) to 2,800,000 people 


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for tuberculosis, and over 30,000,000 insecticide treated 

bednets to fight malaria; 

Whereas in order to further address the global HIV/AIDS 

epidemic, in 2003, Congress authorized the President’s 

Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (‘‘PEPFAR’’) to authorize $15,000,000,000 over 5 years to combat the global AIDS epidemic in 15 focus countries, the largest public health initiative in history launched by a single country to fight a single disease; 

Whereas, between fiscal years 2004 and 2008, PEPFAR programs aim to support care for 10,000,000 HIV-affected 

people, including children orphaned by AIDS; support the 

prevention of 7,000,000 new HIV infections; and help 

2,000,000 people receive antiretroviral treatment; 

Whereas, between fiscal years 2004 and 2007, Congress provided nearly $13,500,000,000 for U.S. global HIV/AIDS, 

tuberculosis, and malaria programs; 

Whereas of March 31, 2007, PEPFAR has supported the 

treatment of 1,100,000 people and as of September 

2006, has supported the prevention of mother-to-child 

HIV transmission during more than 6,000,000 pregnancies and has facilitated care for nearly 4,500,000 people, including more than 2,000,000 orphans and vulnerable children; 

Whereas, in 2001, representatives and heads of state of 189 

countries, including the United States, convened at the 

first-ever Special Session of the United Nations General 

Assembly on HIV/AIDS and unanimously adopted the 

Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas the UN Declaration of Commitment outlines prevention, treatment, and funding methods for achieving the 


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Millennium Development Goal of halting and beginning 

to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015; 

Whereas, in 2006, the United Nations General Assembly convened a High Level Meeting on AIDS, pledging to move 

toward the goal of universal access of comprehensive prevention programs, treatment, care, and support by 2010; 

Whereas the concept of World AIDS Day originated at the 

1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention and was established to 

focus attention on the HIV/AIDS pandemic; and 

Whereas December 1, is now recognized as World AIDS Day 

and has been taken up by governments, international organizations, and charities around the world: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That the Congress— 

3 (1) supports the goals and ideals of World 

4 AIDS Day and recognizes the twentieth anniversary 

5 of observing this day; 

6 (2) commends the President, State and local 

7 governments, including their public health agencies, 

8 for recognizing this day, for publicizing its impor9 tance among their communities, and for encouraging 

10 individuals to undergo testing for HIV; 

11 (3) supports continued funding for prevention, 

12 care, treatment services, and research programs for 

13 persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States 

14 including through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS TreatVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:22 Dec 05, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC265.IH HC265

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1 ment Modernization Act, the Minority HIV/AIDS 

2 Initiative, the Centers for Disease Control, the Na3 tional Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and 

4 Mental Health Services Administration, the Office of 

5 Minority Health, and the Office of the Secretary of 

6 Health and Human Services; 

7 (4) supports continued funding for the Presi8 dent’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, and the 

9 Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Ma10 laria to provide prevention, care, and treatment to 

11 combat HIV/AIDS in developing countries; 

12 (5) supports the goal of providing universal ac13 cess to comprehensive prevention, treatment, care, 

14 and support programs by 2010; and 

15 (6) supports efforts to address the factors that 

16 make populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS by de17 creasing poverty, hunger, childhood mortality, and 

18 by empowering women. 

Æ 


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