Full Text of HR0128 99th General Assembly
HR0128 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, February 7, 2015 is the fourteenth annual | 3 | | commemoration and observance of National African-American | 4 | | HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, This observance is a nationwide effort to mobilize | 6 | | African-American communities to get educated, tested, | 7 | | involved, and treated for HIV/AIDS, as it continues to | 8 | | devastate African-American communities; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, National African-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day | 10 | | is directed, planned, and strategically implemented by | 11 | | HIV/AIDS organizations to mobilize community-based | 12 | | organizations and stakeholders involved in HIV/AIDS | 13 | | prevention, care, and treatment; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, African-Americans account for 44% of people | 15 | | living with HIV, although they represent just 12% of the United | 16 | | States population; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Nearly 43,000 residents of Illinois are living | 18 | | with HIV (including the undiagnosed) and 51% of people newly | 19 | | diagnosed with HIV are African-American; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Young African-American gay men under the age of 30 |
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| 1 | | in Chicago have an infection rate three times greater than | 2 | | their white counterparts; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, At the current rate of infection, nationally 1 in | 4 | | 4 gay African-American men will become HIV-positive by the time | 5 | | they are 25, and 1 in 2 will have HIV by the time they are 35; | 6 | | and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Of those African-Americans that are HIV-positive, | 8 | | fewer than half are prescribed antiretroviral therapy (HIV | 9 | | medication), and just 37% reach viral suppression; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Over two-thirds of women diagnosed with HIV in the | 11 | | United States are African-American; Center for Disease Control | 12 | | data reports that by race/ethnicity, African-American | 13 | | transgender women have the highest percentage of new HIV | 14 | | positive test results; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, HIV medications taken daily (Pre-Exposure | 16 | | Prophylaxis or PrEP) have a greater than 90% chance of | 17 | | preventing HIV infection in people who are HIV-negative, but | 18 | | awareness of PrEP and access to PrEP is low in the most | 19 | | vulnerable communities; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly and administration | 21 | | failed to transfer money to the African-American American |
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| 1 | | HIV/AIDS Response Fund resulting in an inability to make grants | 2 | | to organizations focused on fighting the epidemic in the | 3 | | African-American community; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Numerous organizations, faith-based institutions, | 5 | | public health entities, and impacted citizens are hosting | 6 | | community events to recognize this day and its importance to | 7 | | African-Americans and all concerned citizens; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, It is fitting that we join with these local, | 9 | | national, and international groups to express our strong | 10 | | support for National African-American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day | 11 | | and the initiatives to prevent HIV/AIDS in African-American | 12 | | communities and provide access to and utilization of HIV/AIDS | 13 | | prevention, treatment, and support services to those affected | 14 | | by HIV/AIDS; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 17 | | designate February 7, 2015 as National African-American | 18 | | HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in Illinois, and encourage local | 19 | | residents to strongly support this day and participate in | 20 | | events planned to commemorate the occasion.
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