Lee Calls for Status Report on National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Universal Treatment Goal 30 Years After First Reports of AIDS in the United States
Media Contact: Joel Payne, (202) 225-2661
Washington, DC – This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and 87 Members of Congress introduced HR 1880, legislation calling for a status report on the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and progress toward achieving universal access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS:
"In honor of the 25 million heroes that we have lost to this horrific epidemic in the last thirty years, I introduced this legislation to reinforce the United States’ commitment to combating HIV/AIDS both at home and abroad.
“Despite many challenges, we have come a long way in our fight against this disease. As we reaffirm our commitment on this occasion, we must stay vigilant to ensure greater progress is made in our communities and around the world”.
Congresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008, and in 2005 legislation addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. She has also been a leader in the effort to establish a National AIDS Strategy, and is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services & Education with jurisdiction over all domestic HIV/AIDS funding. She is the only United States representative on United Nations Development Programme’s Global Commission on HIV and the Law and was the original sponsor of legislation that lead to the repeal of the Immigration and Travel ban that barred the entry of HIV positive individuals. The repeal allowed the International AIDS conference - scheduled for July 2012 in Washington DC - to be held in the U.S. after 20 years.
Follow Barbara Lee on Twitter @RepBarbaraLee
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