,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #ei  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of 
,,representatives  ,february #f1 #bjac  
,ms4 ,lee of ,california 7for herself1  
,mr4 ,mc,dermott1 ,ms4 ,sewell of       
,alabama1 ,mr4 ,himes1 ,ms4             
,roybal-,allard1 ,ms4 ,castor of        
,florida1 ,mr4 ,watt1 ,ms4 ,wasserman   
,schultz1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,ms4 ,hahn1   
,ms4 ,schwartz1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,ms4   
,slaughter1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 
,mr4 ,lewis1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,ms4   
,bordallo1 ,mr4 ,butterfield1 ,mr4      
,cummings1 ,mrs4 ,beatty1 ,ms4 ,moore1  
,mr4 ,conyers1 ,mr4 ,clay1 ,mr4         
,cicilline1 ,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,mr4    
,hastings of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,al ,green  
of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson
 of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1  
,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,mr4          
,richmond1 ,ms4 ,frankel of ,florida1   
,ms4 ,waters1 ,ms4 ,fudge1 ,mr4 ,bishop 
of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4 ,danny ,k4
 ,davis of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,ellison1    
,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,jeffries1 ,mr4      

,rangel1 ,mr4 ,honda1 ,mr4 ,serrano1 and
 ,ms4 ,edwards7 submitted the following 
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce     
,,resolution  ,supporting the goals and 
ideals of ,national ,black ,,hiv_/,,aids
 ,awareness ,day4  ,whereas the ,centers
 for ,disease ,control and ,prevention  
7,,cdc7 estimates that in the ,united   
,states1 more than #a1ajj1jjj people are
 living with ,,hiv1 and #ba percent do  
not know they are infected2 ,whereas in 
#bjaj1 approximately #dg1abi people were
 diagnosed with ,,hiv in the ,united    
,states1 about #a person infected with  
,,hiv every #aa minutes2 ,whereas       
,african-,americans represented #dd     
percent of all people living with ,,hiv 
in the ,united ,states in #bjji2        
,whereas in #bjaj1 nearly #ba1jjj       
,african-,americans were diagnosed with 
,,hiv_/,,aids1 contracting ,,hiv at a   
rate #g4i times as high as the rate in  
,whites2 ,whereas although              
,african-,american teenagers 7ages #ac  

to #ai7 represent only #ae percent of   
all teenagers in the ,united ,states1   
they accounted for #fi percent of new   
,,hiv cases reported among teenagers in 
#bjaj2 ,whereas new ,,hiv infections    
among ,african-,american men who have   
sex with men 7,,msm7 ages #ac to #bi1   
increased #dh percent from #bjjf through
 #bjji2 ,whereas young gay men of color 
bear a disproportionate burden of the   
epidemic1 with the majority of new ,,hiv
 infections in #bjaj occurring among    
#ac- to #bd-year-old ,african-,american 
,,msm1 accounting for #de percent of new
 infections among ,african-,american    
,,msm and #ee percent of all new        
infections among young ,,msm2 ,whereas  
in #bjaj1 ,african-,american women      
accounted for #fh percent of new ,,hiv  
infections among women and had an       
infection rate that was #bj times higher
 than that of ,white women2 ,whereas    
among ,african-,american men1 the       
leading transmission category of ,,hiv  
infection in #bjaj was sexual contact   

with other men1 followed by heterosexual
 contact and intravenous drug use2      
,whereas in #bjjh1 ,,hiv_/,,aids        
prevalence among men in prisons was #a4d
 percent2 ,whereas in #bjaj1            
,african-,american males were imprisoned
 at a rate nearly #g times that of      
,white males2 ,whereas among            
,african-,american women1 the leading   
transmission category of ,,hiv infection
 is heterosexual contact1 followed by   
intravenous drug use2 ,whereas the ,,cdc
 notes that socioeconomic issues impact 
the rates of ,,hiv infection among      
,african-,americans1 and studies have   
found an association between higher     
,,aids rates and lower incomes2 ,whereas
 ,african-,americans are diagnosed with 
,,aids later than their nonminority     
counterparts1 are confronted with       
barriers in accessing care and          
treatment1 and face higher morbidity and
 mortality outcomes2 ,whereas the ,,cdc 
estimates that among persons whose      
diagnosis of ,,aids had been made during

 #aiig to #bjjd1 ,african-,americans had
 the poorest survival rates of any      
racial or ethnic group1 with #ff percent
 surviving after #i years compared with 
#fg percent of ,american ,indians and   
,alaska ,natives1 #gd percent of        
,hispanics1 #ge percent of ,whites1 and 
#ha percent of ,asians and ,pacific     
,islanders2 ,whereas approximately      
#fai1djj people have died of ,,aids in  
the ,united ,states from the beginning  
of the ,,hiv_/,,aids epidemic through   
#bjab1 and ,african-,americans account  
for approximately #dj percent of such   
deaths2 ,whereas in #bjjg1 ,,hiv was the
 ninth leading cause of death for all   
,african-,americans1 and the third      
leading cause of death for both         
,african-,american men and              
,african-,american women between the    
ages of #ce to #dd2 ,whereas life-saving
 treatment is also proven prevention1   
and research shows that antiretroviral  
drugs can reduce the risk of            
transmitting ,,hiv_/,,aids by up to #if 

percent2 ,whereas the ,food and ,drug   
,administration has approved            
pre-exposure prophylaxis as prevention  
for people who are ,,hiv-negative2      
,whereas a sequester that triggers a    
#e4b-percent reduction across nondefense
 spending1 as part of the ,budget       
,control ,act1 would result in harmful  
cuts to programs that would             
significantly undermine the domestic    
,,hiv_/,,aids response2 ,whereas        
according to amf,a,r1 the ,foundation   
for ,,aids ,research1 and the ,national 
,minority ,,aids ,council 7,,nmac71 such
 cuts to domestic ,,hiv_/,,aids services
 and research would result in the loss  
of ,,hiv_/,,aids treatment for #f1ejj   
people of color in the ,,aids ,drug     
,assistance ,program1 as well as housing
 assistance for #a1hej households1 and  
delay the development of life-saving    
treatment1 vaccines1 and behavioral     
interventions2 ,whereas in #aiih1       
,congress and the ,clinton              
,administration created the ,national   

,minority ,,aids ,initiative to help    
coordinate funding1 build capacity1 and 
provide prevention1 care1 and treatment 
services within the ,african-,american1 
,hispanic1 ,asian ,pacific ,islander1   
and ,native ,american communities2      
,whereas the ,national ,minority ,,aids 
,initiative assists with leadership     
development of community-based          
organizations 7,c,b,os71 establishes and
 links provider networks1 builds        
community prevention infrastructure1    
promotes technical assistance among     
,c,b,os1 and raises awareness among     
,african-,american communities2 ,whereas
 in #bjab the ,national ,association for
 the ,advancement of ,colored ,people   
7,,naacp7 released a manual of best     
practices for faith leaders to mobilize 
communities1 advocate for community     
support for people infected with and    
affected by ,,hiv_/,,aids1 and organize 
dialogues on ,,hiv_/,,aids as a social  
justice issue as part of ,the ,black    
,church and ,,hiv3 ,the ,social ,justice

 ,imperative2 ,whereas the first annual 
,national ,black ,,hiv_/,,aids          
,awareness ,day was organized on        
,february #bc1 #bjja2 and ,whereas      
,february #g of each year is now        
recognized as ,national ,black          
,,hiv_/,,aids ,awareness ,day with the  
slogan 8,get ,educated6 ,get ,tested6   
,get ,involved6 ,get ,treated603 ,now1  
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of   
,representatives--  7#a7 supports the   
goals and ideals of ,national ,black    
,,hiv_/,,aids ,awareness ,day2  7#b7    
encourages ,state and local governments1
 including their public health agencies1
 and media organizations to recognize   
and support such day1 to publicize its  
importance among their communities1 and 
to all encourage individuals1 especially
 ,african-,americans1 to get tested for 
,,hiv2  7#c7 commends the work of ,,aids
 service organizations and community and
 faith-based organizations that are     
providing effective1 evidence-based1    
prevention1 treatment1 care1 and support

 services to people living with and     
vulnerable to ,,hiv_/,,aids2  7#d7      
supports the implementation of the      
,national ,,hiv_/,,aids ,strategy and   
its goals to reduce new ,,hiv           
infections1 increase access to care and 
improve health outcomes for people      
living with ,,hiv1 reduce ,,hiv-related 
disparities and health inequities1 and  
achieve a more coordinated national     
response to the ,,hiv_/,,aids epidemic2 
7#e7 supports reducing the impact of    
incarceration as a driver of new ,,hiv  
infections within the ,african-,american
 community2  7#f7 supports reducing the 
number of ,,hiv infections in the       
,african-,american community resulting  
from intravenous drug use2  7#g7        
supports effective and comprehensive    
,,hiv prevention education programs to  
promote the early identification of     
,,hiv through voluntary routine testing1
 and to connect those in need to        
clinically and culturally appropriate   
care and treatment as early as possible2

  7#h7 supports appropriate funding for 
,,hiv_/,,aids prevention1 care1         
treatment1 research1 and housing1       
including community based approaches to 
fight stigma1 discrimination1 and       
homophobia2 and  7#i7 encourages a      
comprehensive prevention and treatment  
strategy that empowers public health    
workers1 educators1 faith leaders1 and  
other stakeholders to engage their      
communities to help decrease violence1  
discrimination1 and stigma towards      
individuals who disclose their sexual   
orientation or ,,hiv status1 and        
normalize voluntary testing practices4