,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cfcj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #b1 #bjac,mr4 ,himes 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 and ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,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_/,,aids4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,cure for ,,aids ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,sense of ,congress2 findings 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 finding a cure is essential to ending the ,,aids epidemic in the ,united ,states and globally2 7#b7 ,,aids treatment has saved millions of lives and also makes it much less likely that ,,hiv infection will be passed to a partner2 7#c7 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 ultimate solution for the tens of millions of people living with ,,hiv_/,,aids2 7#d7 the ,national ,institutes of ,health is the leading health research organization in the world and has dedicated millions of dollars to ,,aids cure research2 7#e7 to accelerate ,,aids cure research and product development1 it is becoming increasingly important to invest in areas that can complement the essential role of the ,national ,institutes of ,health2 and 7#f7 a cure will save hundreds of millions of dollars in spending and have a powerful positive economic impact globally4 7b7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,it is estimated that in #bjab roughly #ce1cjj1jjj people were living with ,,hiv_/,,aids worldwide4 7#b7 ,in the ,united ,states1 #a1bjj1jjj ,americans are estimated to be infected with the virus4 7#c7 ,every #i4e minutes1 a citizen of the ,united ,states becomes infected with ,,hiv4 ,roughly #b1gjj1jjj individuals1 including #cij1jjj children1 became newly infected with ,,hiv in #bjaj alone4 7#d7 ,in fiscal year #bjab1 the ,federal ,government spent #bg1gjj1jjj1jjj on ,,hiv_/,,aids1 the largest component being services and treatment for people living with ,,hiv_/,,aids in the ,united ,states at a cost of #ae1fjj1jjj1jjj4 ,the average lifetime cost of ,,hiv treatment is estimated to be #cfg1acd per person4 7#e7 ,in the last two years1 discoveries have led to growing optimism in the scientific community that a cure for ,,aids can be found4 ,the eradication of ,,hiv from the body of one individual in ,germany has led many scientific leaders to believe that curing ,,aids is now possible4 ,leading researchers believe we are now at the cutting edge of scientific discovery for an ,,aids cure with a range of novel approaches being explored1 including stem cells1 gene therapy1 medications1 and immune response modifications1 such as therapeutic vaccines4 #c4 ,establishment of ,,hiv_/,,aids ,congressionally ,directed ,medical ,research ,program 7a7 ,establishment of research program 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 acting through the ,congressionally ,directed ,medical ,research ,program1 shall establish and support an accelerated research program dedicated to the discovery of a cure for ,,hiv_/,,aids4 7#b7 ,administration ,the ,secretary shall carry out the research program established under paragraph 7#a7 in collaboration with-- 7,a7 the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health2 7,b7 the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,allergy and ,infectious ,diseases2 and 7,c7 any head of a ,federal agency that the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7b7 ,scope ,to provide the basis for developing a cure for ,,hiv_/,,aids1 the ,secretary shall ensure that research conducted under subsection 7a77#a7 is highly targeted to address the following scientific questions and priorities3 7#a7 ,how ,,hiv persists despite antiretroviral therapy4 7#b7 ,where ,,hiv persists beyond the reach of antiretroviral therapy4 7#c7 ,whether ongoing attempts of the immune system to clear the infection actually hinders the ability of the medical community to cure infected individuals4 7#d7 ,why the immune system reduces but does not eliminate levels of the virus4 7#e7 ,how to measure ultra-low levels of the virus in the body of an infected individual4 7#f7 ,identifying and testing interventions1 such as drugs1 that may eliminate the virus from infected individuals4 7#g7 ,identifying and testing interventions1 such as vaccines1 that may help an infected individual permanently control the virus without antiretroviral therapy4 7c7 ,assistance by nonprofit entities 7#a7 ,coordination ,in carrying out the research program established under subsection 7a77#a71 the ,secretary shall coordinate with at least one eligible nonprofit entity-- 7,a7 whose primary mission is ending the ,,aids epidemic through innovative research2 and 7,b7 that has experience carrying out programs dedicated to ,,aids cure research4 7#b7 ,responsibilities ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the responsibilities of a nonprofit entity selected under paragraph 7#a7 include partnering with the ,secretary to establish research priorities for peer-reviewed funded research pursuant to subsection 7b74 7d7 ,annual reports ,in each annual report on the ,congressionally ,directed ,medical ,research ,program that the ,secretary submits to ,congress1 the ,secretary shall include information on the progress of the research program established under subsection 7a77#a74 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjad through #bjah4