Introduced
April 10, 2025
Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of “National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day”.
- (1) supports the goals and ideals of “National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day”;
- (2) encourages State and local governments, including their public health agencies, education agencies, schools, and media organizations to recognize and support such a day;
- (3) supports the rights of young people impacted by HIV and AIDS to education, prevention, treatment, and care, and to live without criminalization, discrimination, oppression, or stigma;
- (4) promotes up-to-date, inclusive, culturally responsible, and medically accurate information about HIV, such as information regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis (commonly referred to as “PreP)”, in sex education curricula to ensure that all young people are educated about HIV, as called for in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy;
- (5) supports removal of HIV laws that are scientifically inaccurate and unfairly criminalize young people living with HIV for behaviors that are consensual or have no risk of transmission;
- (6) urges youth-friendly and accessible health care services, especially access to medications such as PreP, post-exposure prophylaxis, and antiretroviral therapy without parental consent, to better provide for the early identification of HIV through voluntary routine testing, and to connect those in need to clinically and culturally appropriate care and treatment as early as possible;
- (7) supports increasing funding for programs that support people impacted by and living with HIV, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, Division of STD Prevention, and Division of HIV Prevention, the program under title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300ff–11 et seq.; commonly referred to as the “Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program”), the Medicaid program, AIDS drug assistance programs, and programs that support medical mentorship, peer navigation, the education of communities regarding testing and treatment options, and people accessing PrEP, and ensure a smoother transition to adult HIV care;
- (8) recommends a comprehensive prevention and treatment strategy that empowers young people, parents, public health workers, educators, faith leaders, and other stakeholders to fully engage with their communities and families to help decrease violence, discrimination, and stigma toward individuals who disclose their sexual orientation or HIV status;
- (9) calls for a generation free of HIV stigma in a manner that prioritizes youth leadership and development in order to ensure youth involvement in decisions which impact their health and well-being as well as advance a pipeline for the next generation of HIV and AIDS doctors, advocates, educators, researchers, and other professionals; and
- (10) recognizes the direct impact from harmful legislative efforts seeking to restrict bodily autonomy for young people, such as restrictions on abortion and birth control access and bans on transgender health care, which negatively impact youth access to nonstigmatizing HIV prevention, education, and confidential testing and treatment, and increase risk for criminalization.