[Filed with Secretary of State August 16, 2016.]
ACR 190, Waldron. HIV Testing Day.
This measure would proclaim June 27, 2016, as HIV Testing Day in California and would encourage Californians to learn their HIV status.
WHEREAS, In 2014, the State Department of Public Health reported 5,551 new HIV diagnoses in California; and
WHEREAS, As of June 30, 2014, the cumulative number of HIV-positive cases in California reached 50,955, and the cumulative number of HIV/AIDS cases reached 169,588; and
WHEREAS, As of June 30, 2014, Whites represented 50.4 percent of all cumulative HIV-positive and HIV/AIDS cases in California, Hispanics represented 27.2 percent, Blacks represented 17.7 percent, and Asians/Pacific Islanders represented 3 percent; and
WHEREAS, From 2009 to 2014, inclusive, the proportion of Latinos and Asians/Pacific Islanders in California who made up new HIV diagnoses increased; and
WHEREAS, In California, African Americans are disproportionately represented among those diagnosed with HIV; and
WHEREAS, In 2014, five states, including California, made up almost half of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States; and
WHEREAS, More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with an HIV infection, and that number grows by almost 50,000 each year; and
WHEREAS, One in seven people with HIV do not know that they are infected, and three in 10 new HIV infections in the United States are transmitted by people who do not know that they are infected; and
WHEREAS, More than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the United States could be prevented by testing and diagnosing people who have HIV and ensuring that they receive prompt and ongoing care and treatment; and
WHEREAS, National HIV Testing Day is held on June 27, 2016, and should serve as an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of HIV testing and early diagnosis of HIV; now, therefore be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the importance of getting tested for HIV; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature proclaims June 27, 2016, as HIV Testing Day in California and encourages Californians to get the facts and to learn their HIV status; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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