Legislation Watch

Though not directly HIV-related, on September 23, the Fair Elections Now Act (H.R. 6116/1826), providing for publicly funded elections for Congress, has passed in committee and has moved to the floor of the House of Representatives. In the Senate, it sits in the Committee on Rules and Administration as S.752.

Implications for the HIV community are strong in that if the bill becomes law, we will have the ability to support the legislators we want to see elected who will work for the passing of legislation like funding for ADAP and Ryan White and any new programs that are created to strengthen prevention efforts, not to mention other issues of interest like single-payer health care (no more ADAP crisis!), the repeal of DOMA and DADT, and the passing of related LGBT rights laws.

Candidates would collect donations of $100 or less from residents of their state, which would then be matched four-to-one with Fair Elections funds. Fair Elections funding would come from the sale of unused broadcast spectrum, ensuring that it wouldn't cost taxpayers a penny. Because candidates' campaigns will be financed by small contributions from people in their home state, Congress will be listening to us, not special interest lobbyists. Of course, the bill will need to pass the House and the Senate in order to benefit people living with HIV.

On September 28, Olympia Snowe (R-ME) joined her Republican colleagues and became the sixth co-sponsor of S.3401 (ACCESS ADAP Act). There are not yet any Democrats or Independents supporting the bill.

On September 29, New Hampshire Democratic Representative Carol Shea-Porter introduced H.R.6255 to require mail-order pharmacies to notify customers when generic drugs become available and to prevent mail-order pharmacies from substituting drugs without the express authorization of the prescriber. It currently has no co-sponsors and sits in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

As of September 30, there’s been no action on any of the other bills of particular interest to the HIV community. The Friends of AIDS Foundation will continue the legislation watch and will provide you with updates.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is encouragng everyone to get out and vote. Your voice counts. Your voice is needed. If you do not vote, you will have to live with someone else's choice. Be the change you wish to see!

Remember, all it takes for evil to triumph is a good man (or woman) doing nothing.

Make sure you vote in the November election!

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!