I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6187 
To establish a research program under the Congressionally Directed Medical 
Research Program of the Department of Defense to discover a cure 
for HIV/AIDS. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2012 
Mr. HIMES (for himself and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in ad-
dition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To establish a research program under the Congressionally 
Directed Medical Research Program of the Department 
of Defense to discover a cure for HIV/AIDS. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cure for AIDS Act 
of 2012’’. 
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SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS; FINDINGS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) finding a cure is essential to ending the 
AIDS epidemic in the United States and globally; 
(2) AIDS treatment has saved millions of lives 
and also makes it much less likely that HIV infec-
tion will be passed to a partner; 
(3) access to AIDS treatment in the United 
States and globally needs to continue to be expanded 
but AIDS treatment is not a cure and not the ulti-
mate solution for the tens of millions of people living 
with HIV/AIDS; 
(4) the National Institutes of Health is the 
leading health research organization in the world 
and has dedicated millions of dollars to AIDS cure 
research; 
(5) to accelerate AIDS cure research and prod-
uct development, it is becoming increasingly impor-
tant to invest in areas that can complement the es-
sential role of the National Institutes of Health; and 
(6) a cure will save hundreds of millions of dol-
lars in spending and have a powerful positive eco-
nomic impact globally. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) It is estimated that in 2010 roughly 
34,000,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS 
worldwide. 
(2) In the United States, 1,200,000 Americans 
are estimated to be infected with the virus. 
(3) Every 9.5 minutes, a citizen of the United 
States 
becomes 
infected 
with 
HIV. 
Roughly 
2,700,000 individuals, including 390,000 children, 
became newly infected with HIV in 2010 alone. 
(4) In fiscal year 2012, the Federal Govern-
ment spent $27,700,000,000 on HIV/AIDS, the 
largest component being services and treatment for 
people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States at 
a cost of $15,600,000,000. The average lifetime cost 
of HIV treatment is estimated to be $367,134 per 
person. 
(5) In the last two years, discoveries have led 
to growing optimism in the scientific community 
that a cure for AIDS can be found. The eradication 
of HIV from the body of one individual in Germany 
has led many scientific leaders to believe that curing 
AIDS is now possible. Leading researchers believe 
we are now at the cutting edge of scientific discovery 
for an AIDS cure with a range of novel approaches 
being explored, including stem cells, gene therapy, 
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medications, and immune response modifications, 
such as therapeutic vaccines. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF HIV/AIDS CONGRESSIONALLY 
DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, 
acting through the Congressionally Directed Medical 
Research Program, shall establish and support an 
accelerated research program dedicated to the dis-
covery of a cure for HIV/AIDS. 
(2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall 
carry out the research program established under 
paragraph (1) in collaboration with— 
(A) the Director of the National Institutes 
of Health; 
(B) the Director of the National Institute 
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and 
(C) any head of a Federal agency that the 
Secretary determines appropriate. 
(b) SCOPE.—To provide the basis for developing a 
cure for HIV/AIDS, the Secretary shall ensure that re-
search conducted under subsection (a)(1) is highly tar-
geted to address the following scientific questions and pri-
orities: 
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(1) How HIV persists despite antiretroviral 
therapy. 
(2) Where HIV persists beyond the reach of 
antiretroviral therapy. 
(3) Whether ongoing attempts of the immune 
system to clear the infection actually hinders the 
ability of the medical community to cure infected in-
dividuals. 
(4) Why the immune system reduces but does 
not eliminate levels of the virus. 
(5) How to measure ultra-low levels of the virus 
in the body of an infected individual. 
(6) Identifying and testing interventions, such 
as drugs, that may eliminate the virus from infected 
individuals. 
(7) Identifying and testing interventions, such 
as vaccines, that may help an infected individual 
permanently control the virus without antiretroviral 
therapy. 
(c) ASSISTANCE BY NONPROFIT ENTITIES.— 
(1) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the re-
search program established under subsection (a)(1), 
the Secretary shall coordinate with at least one eligi-
ble nonprofit entity— 
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(A) whose primary mission is ending the 
AIDS epidemic through innovative research; 
and 
(B) that has experience carrying out pro-
grams dedicated to AIDS cure research. 
(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that the responsibilities of a nonprofit entity 
selected under paragraph (1) include partnering with 
the Secretary to establish research priorities for 
peer-reviewed funded research pursuant to sub-
section (b). 
(d) ANNUAL REPORTS.—In each annual report on 
the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program 
that the Secretary submits to Congress, the Secretary 
shall include information on the progress of the research 
program established under subsection (a)(1). 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017. 
Æ 
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