[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 426 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 426
Recognizing the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Minority
AIDS Initiative.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 24, 2008
Ms. Waters (for herself, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr.
Cleaver, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Thompson of
Mississippi, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr.
Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Payne, Ms.
Schakowsky, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr.
Perlmutter, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Hare, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Dicks, Ms. Jackson-
Lee of Texas, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mrs.
Maloney of New York, Ms. Lee, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr.
Welch of Vermont, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Engel, Mr. Serrano, Ms.
Pelosi, Mr. Holt, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Farr, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Capuano, Mr.
Olver, Mr. Kind, Mr. Jefferson, Ms. Norton, Mr. Grijalva, Mr.
McDermott, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Wu, Mr. Towns, Mrs. Christensen, Mr.
Carson, and Mr. Hinchey) submitted the following concurrent resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Minority
AIDS Initiative.
Whereas the Minority AIDS Initiative was established on October 28, 1998, under
the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, during the
Chairmanship of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, to target funds for the
awareness, prevention, testing, and treatment of HIV/AIDS toward racial
and ethnic minority communities and toward community-based organizations
and health care providers serving these communities;
Whereas HIV/AIDS is a devastating epidemic that continues to spread in
communities throughout the United States;
Whereas there are more than 1,000,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the United
States today;
Whereas there are more than 14,000 AIDS-related deaths every year in the United
States;
Whereas approximately 1 in 4 of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the United
States do not know they are infected;
Whereas all racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately impacted by HIV/
AIDS;
Whereas African-Americans account for about half of new AIDS cases, although
approximately 13 percent of the population as a whole is Black, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that African-
Americans accounted for 45 percent of new HIV infections in 2006;
Whereas Hispanic-Americans account for 19 percent of new AIDS cases, although
only 15 percent of the population as a whole is Hispanic, and the CDC
estimates that Hispanic-Americans accounted for 17 percent of new HIV
infections in 2006;
Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 1 percent of new AIDS
cases, and Native Americans and Alaskan Natives account for up to 1
percent of new AIDS cases;
Whereas approximately 70 percent of new AIDS cases are racial and ethnic
minorities;
Whereas the CDC recently released new estimates of HIV infection, which indicate
that approximately 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United
States in 2006;
Whereas these new estimates are approximately 40 percent higher than the CDC's
previous estimates of 40,000 new infections per year;
Whereas the CDC's data confirms that the most severe impact continues to be
among gay and bisexual men of all races, and Black men and women;
Whereas the purpose of the Minority AIDS Initiative is to enable community based
organizations and health care providers in minority communities to
improve their capacity to deliver culturally and linguistically
appropriate HIV/AIDS care and services;
Whereas the establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative was announced on
October 28, 1998, during a ``roll-out'' event sponsored by the
Congressional Black Caucus, which featured the participation of
President Bill Clinton, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna
Shalala, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, members of the Congressional Black
Caucus, and representatives of HIV/AIDS service and advocacy
organizations;
Whereas it was announced at this ``roll-out'' that the Minority AIDS Initiative
would receive an initial appropriation of $156,000,000 in fiscal year
1999;
Whereas concerned Members of Congress, including members of the Congressional
Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Asian
Pacific American Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Conference,
continue to support the Minority AIDS Initiative;
Whereas the Minority AIDS Initiative continues to provide funding to community-
based organizations, research institutions, minority-serving colleges
and universities, health care organizations, State and local health
departments, correctional institutions, and other providers of health
information and services to help such entities address the HIV/AIDS
epidemic within the minority populations they serve;
Whereas Congress codified the Minority AIDS Initiative within the most recent
reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act;
Whereas the Minority AIDS Initiative fills gaps in HIV/AIDS outreach, awareness,
prevention, treatment, surveillance, and infrastructure across
communities of color; and
Whereas, October 28, 2008, is the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the
Minority AIDS Initiative: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) recognizes and commemorates the 10th anniversary of the
establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative;
(2) commends the efforts of community-based organizations
and health care providers in minority communities to deliver
culturally and linguistically appropriate HIV/AIDS care and
services within the minority populations they serve;
(3) encourages racial and ethnic minorities to educate
themselves about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and
reduce HIV related stigma; and
(4) supports the continued funding of the Minority AIDS
Initiative and other Federal programs to stop the spread of
HIV/AIDS and provide effective, compassionate treatment and
care to individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.
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