HIV/AIDS

I was among the first in Congress to express concern about the scourge of AIDS and recognize the toll it has taken on women and minority populations.  HIV/AIDS of course affects men and women of all races and ethnicities.  Blacks, Latinos and other minorities however are disproportionately impacted by the epidemic.  Combined, minorities represent 67% of new HIV infections, 71% of new AIDS cases and 67% of people in America living with HIV/AIDS.

I spearheaded the establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative in 1998 and have continued efforts to expand it by coordinating a request that Congress provide the Initiative with $610 million in Fiscal Year 2010.  This would be a considerable increase from the funding level of about $400 million per year during most of the Bush Administration.

I also strongly support a comprehensive strategy to respond to the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic nationally and globally.

I remain one of the strongest supporters of HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and treatment, having introduced several pieces of related legislation: 

The Routine HIV Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 2137) which would require health insurance plans to cover routine HIV tests under the same terms and conditions as other routine health screenings;

The Stop AIDS in Prison Act (H.R. 1429), which the House of Representatives passed in March 2009, requiring the Bureau of Prisons to test all federal prison inmates for HIV upon entering prison and again prior to release from prison, provide HIV/AIDS prevention education for all inmates and give comprehensive treatment to inmates who test positive;

and H. Res. 592 which encourages primary care physicians and other clinicians nationwide to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral services as well as to get tested for HIV.