2012 International AIDS Conference

"We can and we must increase and better target our resources for treatment prevention and care.  We can and we must repeal laws and politically motivated policies that violate human rights and undermine our efforts.  We can and we must engage meaningfully with key affected populations, and that includes men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and people who inject drugs.  And that is exactly what my new legislation called "Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act" would do."

                                                                                        - Congresswoman Barbara Lee

H.R. 6138 - ENDING THE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC ACT

Thirty years after the first discovery of AIDS cases, the U.S. has made tremendous progress in addressing the global and domestic crisis.  The good news is that new HIV infections worldwide are at their lowest levels since 1997, and even better – the goal of eliminating new HIV infections in children by 2015 is within reach.  There have also been revolutionary breakthroughs in AIDS research.  The discoveries of treatments that can reduce new HIV infections by 96% and the recent FDA decision to approve use of the antiretroviral drug Truvada as an option for HIV prevention brings a message of energy and hope that is tangible and invigorating as we recommit to ending this epidemic.

To seize this critical moment, I have introduced a new bill, the Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act, that articulates a policy and financing framework to achieve an AIDS-Free Generation in the United States and globally. More specifically, the bill(1) increases and targets federal resources to maximize impact, (2) expands efforts to end stigma and discrimination that inhibit access to health services, (3) repeals and reforms laws that violate human rights and limit the positive impact of resources and (4) maximizes federal coordinating efforts to drive greater efficiency and improved results.

We are literally at a tipping point in the fight against AIDS – and it is critical we do not let our progress slip away. I urge you to support this important legislation so that we can begin to bring an end to AIDS here at home and around the world.