H.Res. 296House117th Congress (2021-2023)In Committee

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated February 8, 2026 at 1:21 AM UTC

The resolution backs National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day and urges federal, state, and local governments, schools, and media to support young people affected by HIV. It calls for better education, expanded access to prevention and treatment, removal of unfair criminal laws, and increased funding for youth‑focused HIV programs. The aim is to reduce stigma and improve health outcomes for youth living with or at risk for HIV.

Key Provisions

Encourages governments, schools, and media to recognize and support National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day.
Promotes inclusive, medically accurate HIV education—including information on PrEP—in school curricula.
Calls for removal of HIV‑related laws that criminalize consensual behavior or pose no transmission risk.
Supports youth‑friendly health services that provide testing, PrEP, PEP, and treatment without parental consent.
Advocates increased funding for programs such as CDC’s DASH, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, Medicaid, and ADAPs.
Calls for a comprehensive prevention and treatment strategy involving families, educators, and community leaders to reduce stigma and discrimination.
Emphasizes youth leadership in decisions affecting their health and in developing the next generation of HIV professionals.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Health Subcommittee

April 9, 2021

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

April 8, 2021

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Energy and Commerce Committee

April 8, 2021

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Health Subcommittee

April 9, 2021

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.Res. 296 on the floor

1 Democrat

Rep. Josh GottheimerD-NJ-5 · May 12, 2022

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record remarks I gave before the Armenian National Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of America. It's an honor to speak with you today. I'm Josh…

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record remarks I gave before the Armenian National Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of America.

It's an honor to speak with you today. I'm Josh Gottheimer,

representing New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District, and

I'm also the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers

Caucus. Throughout my time in Congress, I've always been

proud to fight for our great Armenian American community in

North Jersey--one of the largest in the country.

Tonight, I want to thank my friends with the Armenian

National Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of

America, and also acknowledge any clergy and faith leaders

joining us.

We are gathered here today to remember April 24th, 1915:

the painful day when hundreds of Armenian intellectuals were

rounded up and ultimately murdered at the beginning of the

Armenian Genocide. May their memory be a blessing to us all.

By coming together to commemorate this atrocity, we not

only mourn the lives lost, but we continue to rededicate

ourselves to recognizing and speaking out against genocide

around the globe and ensuring that we stand united in

condemning hatred and violence.

I believe that it is our duty to speak out honestly about

historical facts and recognize the massacre of 1.5 million

Armenians, as well as Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs,

Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians by the Ottoman

Empire.

As the husband of someone who lost entire parts of her

family during the Nazis' attempt to exterminate European

Jewry, the need to recognize genocide is a deeply personal

one.

I know that it is never the wrong time to bear witness and

tell the truth, and that the United States should never be

complicit in denying genocide.

For too long, this genocide has been denied, and the

victims and their families denied full justice.

In October 2019--nearly three years ago--thanks to the

tireless efforts of activists and community leaders like all

of you, as was said, we were able to achieve the historic

passage in Congress of H. Res. 296--a resolution I was proud

to cosponsor and vote for--affirming the United States'

recognition of the Armenian genocide.

I was also proud to work with my colleagues in the

bipartisan Congressional Armenian Caucus to write to

President Biden urging him to recognize the Armenian

Genocide.

And last year, as was talked about, for the first time, the

sitting President of the United States formally declared the

truth.

As we continue to see a rise in acts of hate and targeted

violence against ethnic and religious minorities around the

world, it is vital that we not conceal or be bystanders to

evil.

By recognizing the Armenian Genocide, we pay tribute to the

perseverance of the survivors and the dedication and

contributions of the Armenian Americans who do so much to

strengthen our communities and our nation.

I will continue to stand strong with our ally Armenia, in

the face of threats and continued attacks from its neighbors,

as we unfortunately have continued to see, even just in the

last couple months. That includes continuing our call for the

release of Armenian prisoners of war detained by Azerbaijan,

as well as continued support for critical humanitarian

assistance to Artsakh.

Know that you have an ally in Congress, and that my door is

always open to you.

Today, we solemnly commemorate the genocide committed

against the Armenian people. It is only by raising our voices

to acknowledge and remember these horrific crimes against

humanity, that we can look clearly into the future committed

to pursue justice and eradicate hate.

Thank you, and God bless America.

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued April 8, 2021

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 296

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 8, 2021

Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Rush, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Khanna, and Mr. Tonko) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

RESOLUTION

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day.

Whereas National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day is a nationwide observance that calls on people to take action to invest in the health, education, and leadership of young people;

Whereas more than 30 years into the epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the United States more than 1,200,000 people are living with HIV, and every year approximately 40,000 people acquire HIV;

Whereas in the United States, almost 40 percent of new HIV infections are young people ages 13 to 20;

Whereas 44 percent of young people living with HIV (YPLWHIV) ages 13 to 24 are unaware of their HIV status;

Whereas African-American youth are most impacted by the epidemic, representing 57 percent of new transmissions in young people ages 13 to 24;

Whereas African-American young men who have sex with men (YMSM) ages 13 to 24 comprise 51 percent of new transmissions among all YMSM;

Whereas the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) is the only Federal program supporting HIV prevention for adolescents in schools;

Whereas the Nation’s largest Federal program dedicated to providing care and treatment for people living with HIV was named after Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana who helped educate a Nation about HIV and AIDS in the 1980s;

Whereas the Ryan White Part D Program is one of the national efforts to link YPLWHIV to medical care and support services;

Whereas the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) provides youth, including those living with or impacted by HIV and AIDS, better access to health care coverage, more health insurance options, additional funding for sex education, a prohibition against denying people living with HIV access to health care, and expanded access to Medicaid which will support more YPLWHIV receiving care; and

Whereas April 10 of each year is now recognized as National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives—

(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 young people’s right to education, prevention, treatment, and care, and to live without criminalization, discrimination, oppression, and stigma;

(4)

promotes up-to-date, inclusive, culturally responsible, and medically accurate information about HIV, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, 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 transmissions;

(6)

urges youth-friendly and accessible health care services, especially access to medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, 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 the increase of funding for programs that support people impacted by and living with HIV, including CDC DASH, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, the Medicaid program, AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), and programs that support medical mentorship, peer navigation, educating communities on 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 towards individuals who disclose their sexual orientation or HIV status; and

(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.