Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2006

Mr. Speaker, recent estimates indicate that there are 40,000 new AIDS infections each year in the United States.

African American men and women were disproportionately overrepresented among new AIDS diagnoses in 2004. African American women accounted for 67 percent of new AIDS diagnoses among women; and African American men accounted for nearly half, 44 percent, of new AIDS diagnoses among men. Today, African American women represent a staggering 71 percent of all the AIDS diagnoses among women.

Though African Americans comprised 17 percent of the teenage population, age 13 to 19 years of age, by the end of 2004, they represented 70 percent of all the HIV/AIDS cases among teenagers, age 13 to 19 years of age. Just more than one in ten, 13 percent and 15 percent, were represented by Latino and whites respectively in the same age groups.

The Congressional Black Caucus has decided that we are going to increase our efforts. Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the Congressional Black Caucus has and will continue to assume a leadership role in addressing the issue through AIDS education and other actions. We are increasing our efforts to insist on personal responsibility, mandatory testing, outreach and education, advocating for increased funding, more legislation.

I have introduced H.R. 6038. This is a bill that would require routine testing of those entering prison, with counseling and treatment and referrals and follow-ups for those who are leaving.

We are going to conquer this epidemic.

Mr. Speaker, 25 years after the start of the devastating global HIV/AIDS pandemic, this disease is still devastating black America. Among young people, among women, among men, African Americans are most at risk of getting infected with HIV and developing AIDS and dying of this disease. Enough is enough.

Over the last 5 years, this Republican-led Congress has done nothing to recognize this pandemic and the scope of this problem. We need to focus our efforts on the spread of HIV and AIDS in our prison system and provide routine but rigorous HIV testing, linked with treatment, to all incarcerated individuals, and support Congresswoman Waters' H.R. 6038, the Stop AIDS in Prisons Act.

We need to pass my bill, H.R. 6083, the JUSTICE Act, to allow condoms, yes, condoms, in our prisons and to demand accountability in stopping the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among incarcerated individuals.

Mr. Speaker, this is a state of emergency. Let us declare it. We must declare it. We must declare resources to confront it. The entire Congress needs to support more funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative, beginning with a minimum of $610 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative. Let us declare this state of emergency.