U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers
Log Cabin Republicans announced today its support for the Ryan White Patient Equity and Choice Act, introduced in March by U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C.
The bill, aka HR 4260, is intended to ensure appropriate allocation of funding for the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act program. Tim Boyd, director of domestic policy for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, told Dallas Voice in April that the bill would shift funding to account for the rise in infection rates in areas and populations “that didn’t get prevention messages before” especially in the South.
U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, is one of the co-sponsors of the bill, and Dallas HIV service providers — such as AIDS Services of Dallas (led by CEO Don Maison) and Resource Center (led by CEO Cece Cox) — support the legislation, too.
Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Gregory T. Angelo said today that HR 4260 would “help hundreds of thousands of Americans with HIV obtain better or first-time care. Furthermore, this bill will continue to fund groundbreaking research that will help eliminate the spread of HIV and save countless lives in the future.”
Angelo said Log Cabin “commend[s] Congresswoman Ellmers for her leadership” on HR 4260 and called on members of Congress of both parties to work together to get it enacted.
Ellmers said she is pleased to have Log Cabin’s support, calling the organization’s backing “an important endorsement [that] speaks volumes for the bipartisan support this bill continues to gain … . I will continue to work with my colleagues to quickly move this bill through the House of Representatives.”
Log Cabin’s press release cited statistics saying there are about 1.2 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, but that 20 percent do not know their HIV status and only 40 percent see a medical professional on a regular basis. Another 70 percent “are capable of spreading the virus,” the press released said.
