IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 974 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS 
Awareness Day. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2022 
Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Ms. TITUS, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. 
SEWELL, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. RUSH, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. 
WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. KILMER, and Mr. COSTA) submitted the fol-
lowing 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 com-
mittee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Women and 
Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. 
Whereas 1,700,000 individuals are newly infected with 
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) every year, includ-
ing 40,000 individuals in the United States; 
Whereas, in the United States, more than 770,000 individ-
uals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) 
have died since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, in-
cluding nearly 16,000 deaths among individuals diag-
nosed with HIV in 2018; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:03 Mar 10, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR974.IH
HR974
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
•HRES 974 IH 
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention 
(CDC), 
Black/African-American, 
Latino, 
Asian-American, American Indian, Alaska Native, and 
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander individuals 
are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United 
States; 
Whereas, according to the CDC, Black/African-American, 
Latino, and White gay and bisexual men and Black/Afri-
can-American heterosexual women bear the greatest bur-
den of new HIV infections in the United States; 
Whereas homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia are associ-
ated with minority stress (high stress levels faced by 
members of stigmatized groups) and may contribute to 
sexual behaviors that can increase the risk of HIV trans-
mission and create barriers to preventative care and 
treatment for HIV/AIDS; 
Whereas, among the 3,000,000 HIV testing events reported 
to the CDC in 2017, the percentage of transgender indi-
viduals who received a new HIV diagnosis was 3 times 
the national average for all individuals; 
Whereas, despite significant gains, every week 6,000 adoles-
cent girls and young women are infected with HIV world-
wide; 
Whereas inequitable gender norms, transactional sex, sexual 
violence, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and early 
pregnancy continue to drive new HIV infections in many 
countries and young women account for 61 percent of 
new HIV infections among young individuals in sub-Sa-
haran Africa; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:03 Mar 10, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR974.IH
HR974
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
•HRES 974 IH 
Whereas, from 2015 to 2019, the rate of new HIV infections 
among Black/African-American women was 11 times that 
of White women and 4 times that of Latina women; 
Whereas, as of the end of 2019, an estimated 38,000,000 in-
dividuals globally were living with HIV/AIDS, including 
1,800,000 children; 
Whereas, in the United States, almost 40 percent of new 
HIV infections occur in individuals from 13 to 20 years 
of age; 
Whereas, among new adolescent HIV diagnoses in the United 
States in 2019, 85 percent occurred in males, 12 percent 
occurred in females, and 3 percent occurred in 
transgender females; 
Whereas, in the United States in 2019, individuals from 13 
to 24 years of age comprised 21 percent of the 36,398 
new HIV diagnoses; 
Whereas 44 percent of individuals from 13 to 24 years of age 
living with HIV are unaware of their HIV status; 
Whereas Black/African-American youth are the group most 
affected by the HIV epidemic, comprising 57 percent of 
new transmissions in individuals who are 13 to 24 years 
of age; 
Whereas, when a woman living with HIV receives comprehen-
sive care before, during, and after a pregnancy, the risk 
of passing HIV to the child is less than 1 percent; 
Whereas women and adolescent girls face serious challenges 
with respect to prevention of infection due to inadequate 
access to evidence- and rights-based, age-appropriate, and 
comprehensive sexuality and HIV-prevention education 
and tools, including— 
(1) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and testing; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:03 Mar 10, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR974.IH
HR974
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
•HRES 974 IH 
(2) sexual- and gender-based violence prevention and 
care services; and 
(3) sexual and reproductive health information and 
services, including screening and treatment for STIs and 
access to a full range of contraceptive methods, including 
male and female condoms; 
Whereas the Division of Adolescent and School Health of the 
CDC is the only Federal program supporting HIV pre-
vention for adolescents in schools; 
Whereas the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act pro-
vides youth, including those living with or affected by 
HIV/AIDS, better access to healthcare coverage, more 
health insurance options, additional funding for sexual 
education, a prohibition against denying individuals living 
with HIV access to healthcare, and expanded access to 
Medicaid, which will support more youth living with HIV 
to receive care; 
Whereas, in 2021, the Biden administration, as stated in the 
2022–2025 HIV National Strategic Plan (HIV Plan), 
committed to reenergize and strengthen a whole-of-soci-
ety response to the HIV epidemic while supporting people 
with HIV and reducing HIV-associated morbidity and 
mortality; 
Whereas the Biden administration’s National Strategy on 
Gender Equity and Equality states a commitment to ‘‘ad-
dress sociocultural factors that compromise access to care 
for women and girls, rendering them more vulnerable to 
HIV/AIDS, unattended births, and other poor health out-
comes—including by engaging men and boys as partners 
in addressing gender inequities in health’’; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:03 Mar 10, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR974.IH
HR974
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
•HRES 974 IH 
Whereas the Sustainable Development Goals of the United 
Nations established a global target to end AIDS as a 
public health threat by 2030, and the United Nations is 
committed to achieve gender equality and empower all 
women and girls; 
Whereas the document published by UNAIDS and titled 
‘‘Global Aids Strategy 2021–2026—End Inequalities. 
End AIDS’’— 
(1) reinforces the global need for ‘‘tailored, combina-
tion HIV prevention packages . . . including scale-up of 
underutilized prevention approaches and community-led 
responses, such as comprehensive sexuality education, 
sexual and reproductive health (including contraception), 
harm reduction services, condoms, lubricants, PrEP and 
U=U, 
and 
emerging 
prevention 
tools, 
such 
as 
antiretroviral containing vaginal rings’’; and 
(2) includes access to sexual and reproductive health 
services in the global targets of the Strategy; 
Whereas Federal and State criminal law does not reflect the 
4 decades of medical advances and discoveries made with 
regard to transmission and treatment of HIV/AIDS; 
Whereas 2022 marks the 16th annual observance of National 
Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; 
Whereas the 2021 National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS 
Awareness Day theme, ‘‘You. Me. WE. Changing the face 
of HIV’’, highlights the role that everyone can play in 
HIV prevention, including individuals, community organi-
zations, healthcare professionals, businesses, and faith in-
stitutions; 
Whereas the Office on Women’s Health and the Office of In-
fectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy of the Depart-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:03 Mar 10, 2022
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR974.IH
HR974
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS