IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 99 
Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness 
Day’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 7, 2023 
Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. BEATTY, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. 
BUSH, Ms. TITUS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. 
CA´RDENAS, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. MENG, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. COHEN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. 
GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. JACOBS, 
Mr. TAKANO, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. 
BLUNT
ROCHESTER, 
Mr. 
SOTO, 
Mr. 
IVEY, 
Mr. 
POCAN, 
Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Mr. GRI-
JALVA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘National Black HIV/ 
AIDS Awareness Day’’. 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC) estimates that in the United States, more than 
1,189,000 people are living with HIV, and 13 percent do 
not know their status; 
Whereas in the United States, more than 700,000 people 
with AIDS have died since the beginning of the epidemic, 
including more than 290,000 African Americans; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
Whereas, in 2020, 30,635 people aged 13 and older become 
newly diagnosed with HIV in the United States; 
Whereas since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 
the United States, racial and ethnic minorities have been 
disproportionately affected by the disease; 
Whereas African Americans are diagnosed with HIV later 
than their White counterparts, are confronted with great-
er barriers in accessing care and treatment, and face 
higher morbidity and mortality outcomes; 
Whereas African Americans account for nearly half of all 
those with AIDS who have died in the United States 
since the beginning of the epidemic; 
Whereas, in 2017, 2,620 African Americans died of HIV or 
AIDS, accounting for 47 percent of total deaths attrib-
uted to the disease that year; 
Whereas, in 2014, HIV/AIDS was the sixth-leading cause of 
death for Black men overall and for Black women ages 
25 to 34, and the fifth for Black men ages 35 to 44 and 
fourth for Black women ages 35 to 44, ranking higher 
than their respective counterparts in any other racial or 
ethnic group; 
Whereas, in 2019, African Americans represented 42 percent 
of all people living with HIV in the United States, despite 
comprising just 13 percent of the United States popu-
lation; 
Whereas, in 2020, over 12,800 African Americans were diag-
nosed with HIV; 
Whereas, from 2015 to 2019, HIV diagnoses for African 
Americans decreased by 8 percent; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
Whereas African-American gay and bisexual men are more 
affected by HIV than any other group in the United 
States, accounting for a higher proportion of HIV diag-
noses, those living with HIV, those ever diagnosed with 
AIDS, and HIV/AIDS-related deaths; 
Whereas, in 2018, more than half of African Americans diag-
nosed with HIV were gay or bisexual men; 
Whereas, in 2018, among all gay and bisexual men who had 
received an HIV diagnosis, African Americans accounted 
for the highest number (39 percent); 
Whereas, according to a 2016 study by the CDC, an esti-
mated half of Black gay men will be diagnosed with HIV 
in their lifetime, if current HIV diagnosis rates persist; 
Whereas homophobia, stigma, religious trauma, and discrimi-
nation pose major obstacles to HIV testing, treatment, 
and other prevention services for gay and bisexual Afri-
can-American men; 
Whereas data show a 22-percent decrease in new HIV cases 
among Black women between 2010 and 2019; 
Whereas among all women in the United States, Black 
women account for the largest share of 6,400 new HIV 
diagnoses (3,400 or 53 percent) in 2019; 
Whereas African-American women face the highest risk of 
HIV and other sexually transmitted infections compared 
with women of other groups; 
Whereas the rate of new HIV transmission among Black 
women (18.9 per 100,000) is nearly 11 times as high as 
the rate among White women (1.8 per 100,000) and 
nearly 4 times as high as the rate among Latinas (4.9 
per 100,000); 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
Whereas among African-American women, the leading trans-
mission category of HIV is heterosexual contact, followed 
by intravenous drug use; 
Whereas among African-American men, the leading trans-
mission category of HIV is male-to-male sexual contact, 
followed by heterosexual contact; 
Whereas research indicates that the high incarceration rates 
of Black men may contribute to the disproportionate 
rates of HIV transmissions among Black women; 
Whereas, in 2020, there were more than 11,000 people living 
with HIV in State and Federal prisons; 
Whereas among incarcerated populations, African-American 
men are 5 times as likely as White men, and twice as 
likely as Hispanic/Latino men, to be diagnosed with HIV; 
Whereas among incarcerated populations, African-American 
women are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with 
HIV as White or Hispanic/Latina women; 
Whereas the Williams Institute reports that HIV criminaliza-
tion laws disproportionately impact African-Americans, 
who are more likely to be arrested and convicted of out-
dated laws lacking inclusion of modernized treatment ac-
cess, options, and efficacy, facing longer sentences after 
conviction, and more likely to experience the lifelong con-
sequences of a felony conviction including sex offender 
registry placement; 
Whereas transgender women in the United States are at high 
risk for HIV, with the CDC finding that 4 in 10 
transgender women surveyed in seven major United 
States cities have HIV; 
Whereas more than half of all transgender people diagnosed 
with HIV are Black or African American; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
Whereas, in 2018, the South made up 51 percent of the new 
HIV diagnoses in the United States; 
Whereas African Americans are severely and disproportion-
ately affected by HIV in the South, accounting for 52 
percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the region; 
Whereas socioeconomic issues impact the rates of HIV trans-
mission among African Americans in the South and 
throughout the United States; 
Whereas socioeconomic factors like income inequality, pov-
erty, and lack of access to HIV prevention education and 
basic 
health 
services, 
and 
cultural 
factors 
like 
homophobia, transphobia, and racism all pose significant 
challenges to combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic; 
Whereas the epidemic of community and interpersonal vio-
lence that communities most impacted by HIV experience 
disproportionately fuels the HIV epidemic; 
Whereas the United States is seeing signs of progress; 
Whereas, from 2014 to 2018, HIV diagnoses among African- 
American women fell by over 10 percent and have also 
fallen sharply among African Americans who inject 
drugs; 
Whereas culturally competent outreach, testing, education, 
counseling, and harm reduction practices are all critical 
to prevent HIV; 
Whereas lifesaving treatment is also a proven prevention tool, 
and research shows that antiretroviral drugs can reduce 
the amount of virus to undetectable levels (also known as 
viral suppression), effectively resulting in no risk of 
transmission of HIV; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
Whereas, in 2012, the Food and Drug Administration ap-
proved preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as prevention for 
people who are HIV-negative; 
Whereas PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV transmission for 
HIV-negative people by up to 99 percent; 
Whereas, in 1998, Congress and the Clinton administration 
created the National Minority AIDS Initiative to help co-
ordinate funding, build capacity, and provide prevention, 
care, and treatment services within the African-American, 
Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American 
communities; 
Whereas the National Minority AIDS Initiative assists with 
leadership development of community-based organizations 
(CBOs), establishes and links provider networks, builds 
community prevention infrastructure, promotes technical 
assistance among CBOs, and raises awareness among Af-
rican-American communities; 
Whereas 2022 marks the 24th year of the National Minority 
AIDS Initiative which has successfully established life-
saving services and programs to address the needs of 
those communities, families, and individuals most im-
pacted and burdened by HIV; 
Whereas studies show that diversity in health care leadership 
can enhance quality of care, quality of life in the work-
place, community relations, health communication, and 
the ability to positively affect community health status; 
Whereas HIV studies have found that patient-provider race/ 
ethnic concordance is associated with higher provider cul-
tural competency and that greater cultural competency of 
health care providers is associated with increased quality 
and equity of HIV care as defined by patients recording 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
higher levels of self-efficacy and more likely to be on and 
adhering to antiretroviral (ARV) therapies; 
Whereas it stands to reason that the linkages between pro-
vider identity, cultural competency, and patient outcomes 
in the clinical setting would also apply to nonclinical set-
tings important for advancing public health; 
Whereas AIDS service organizations have played a vital role 
in responding to the HIV epidemic, yet many are plagued 
by an underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities 
in leadership positions; 
Whereas research on community empowerment suggests that 
health outcomes are improved when individuals are en-
gaged in advancing the health of their own communities 
and working with their peers and partners in health pro-
motion and services; 
Whereas a focus on equity in the provision of services sug-
gests a diverse public health workforce can help sustain 
much needed attention to community-identified priorities 
and raise the responsiveness of the health care system to 
diverse populations; 
Whereas, in 2010, the Obama administration unveiled the 
first National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which identified a set 
of priorities and strategic action steps tied to measurable 
outcomes for moving the Nation forward in addressing 
the domestic HIV epidemic; 
Whereas, in December 2021, the National HIV/AIDS Strat-
egy for the United States (2022–2025) was released and 
included actions and goals in order to reduce HIV-related 
disparities and inequalities; 
Whereas, in 2016, Prevention Access Campaign and commu-
nity members living with HIV launched the Undetectable 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
equals Untransmittable (U=U) movement to build and 
communicate a consensus about the largely unknown fact 
that people living with HIV who are on treatment and 
have an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit 
HIV; 
Whereas when people living with HIV are on treatment and 
have an undetectable viral load, they protect their own 
health, they cannot transmit HIV to their sexual part-
ners, and their HIV is untransmittable; 
Whereas, in 2013, the National Association for the Advance-
ment of Colored People (NAACP) released a manual of 
best practices for faith leaders to mobilize communities, 
advocate for community support for people infected with 
and affected by HIV/AIDS, and organize dialogues on 
HIV/AIDS as a social justice issue as part of ‘‘The Black 
Church and HIV: The Social Justice Imperative’’; 
Whereas the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid 
and reforms to the individual insurance market have 
helped lower the uninsured rates for nonelderly African 
Americans by more than one-third between 2013 and 
2016, leading to better health outcomes for African 
Americans living with or at risk of HIV; 
Whereas ‘‘National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day’’ was 
founded by 5 national organizations in 1999 to provide 
capacity-building assistance to Black communities and 
organizations; and 
Whereas, each year on February 7, individuals, organizations, 
and policymakers across the Nation participate in ‘‘Na-
tional Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day’’ to promote HIV 
education, testing, community involvement, and treat-
ment in Black communities: Now, therefore, be it 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of ‘‘National 
Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day’’; 
(2) encourages State and local governments, in-
cluding their public health agencies, and media orga-
nizations to recognize and support such day, to pub-
licize its importance among their communities, and 
to encourage individuals, especially African Ameri-
cans, to get tested for HIV; 
(3) commends the work of AIDS service organi-
zations, community-based organizations, faith-based 
organizations, health care providers, community 
health centers, and health departments that are pro-
viding effective, culturally competent, evidence- 
based, prevention, treatment, care, and support serv-
ices to people living with and vulnerable to HIV/ 
AIDS; 
(4) supports the implementation of the National 
HIV/AIDS Strategy and its goals to reduce new 
HIV cases, increase access to care and improve 
health outcomes for people living with HIV, reduce 
HIV-related disparities and health inequities, and 
achieve a more coordinated national response to the 
HIV/AIDS epidemic; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
(5) requests the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services to prioritize the dis-
tribution of National Minority AIDS Initiative 
grants to HIV-based agencies that are minority-led 
with preference given to organizations led by people 
who identify as African American/Black, Latino, 
American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, or 
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 
(6) supports reducing the impact of incarcer-
ation as a driver of new HIV transmission rates 
within the African-American community; 
(7) supports reducing the number of HIV 
transmissions in the African-American community 
resulting from intravenous drug use; 
(8) supports effective and comprehensive HIV 
prevention education programs to promote the early 
identification of HIV through voluntary routine test-
ing, and to connect those in need to clinically and 
culturally appropriate care and treatment as early as 
possible; 
(9) encourages State and local governments, in-
cluding their public health agencies, and community- 
based organizations to share and disseminate 
Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U) infor-
mation; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 99 IH 
(10) supports appropriate funding for HIV/ 
AIDS prevention, care, treatment, research, and 
housing, including community-based approaches to 
fight 
stigma, 
discrimination, 
racism, 
sexism, 
homophobia, and transphobia; 
(11) 
encourages 
comprehensive 
prevention, 
treatment, and care strategies that empower public 
health workers, educators, faith leaders, and other 
stakeholders to engage their communities to help de-
crease violence, discrimination, and stigma toward 
individuals who disclose their sexual orientation, 
gender identity, or HIV status; and 
(12) encourages State, local, and Federal agen-
cies to consistently partner and formally engage with 
network leaders comprised of subject matter experts 
with lived experience to uphold the meaningful in-
volvement of people living with HIV as laid out in 
the Denver Principles of 1983. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:21 Feb 08, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR99.IH
HR99
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS