Cure for AIDS Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD), through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, to establish and support an accelerated research program dedicated to discovering a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Instructs the Secretary to collaborate with the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other appropriate federal agencies.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that such research is highly targeted, (2) coordinate with at least one eligible nonprofit entity, and (3) ensure that the responsibilities of the non-profit entity include partnering with the Secretary in establishing research priorities.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3630 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3630
To establish a research program under the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense to discover a
cure for HIV/AIDS.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 2, 2013
Mr. Himes (for himself, Ms. Lee of California, and Ms. Wilson of
Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Energy
and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a research program under the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense to discover a
cure for HIV/AIDS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cure for AIDS Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS; FINDINGS.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) finding a cure is essential to ending the AIDS epidemic
in the United States and globally;
(2) AIDS treatment has saved millions of lives and also
makes it much less likely that HIV infection will be passed to
a partner;
(3) access to AIDS treatment in the United States and
globally needs to continue to be expanded but AIDS treatment is
not a cure and not the ultimate solution for the tens of
millions of people living with HIV/AIDS;
(4) the National Institutes of Health is the leading health
research organization in the world and has dedicated millions
of dollars to AIDS cure research;
(5) to accelerate AIDS cure research and product
development, it is becoming increasingly important to invest in
areas that can complement the essential role of the National
Institutes of Health; and
(6) a cure will save hundreds of millions of dollars in
spending and have a powerful positive economic impact globally.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) It is estimated that in 2012 roughly 35,300,000 people
were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
(2) In the United States, 1,200,000 Americans are estimated
to be infected with the virus.
(3) Every 9.5 minutes, a citizen of the United States
becomes infected with HIV. Roughly 2,700,000 individuals,
including 390,000 children, became newly infected with HIV in
2010 alone.
(4) In fiscal year 2012, the Federal Government spent
$27,700,000,000 on HIV/AIDS, the largest component being
services and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in the
United States at a cost of $15,600,000,000. The average
lifetime cost of HIV treatment is estimated to be $367,134 per
person.
(5) In the last two years, discoveries have led to growing
optimism in the scientific community that a cure for AIDS can
be found. The eradication of HIV from the body of one
individual in Germany has led many scientific leaders to
believe that curing AIDS is now possible. Leading researchers
believe we are now at the cutting edge of scientific discovery
for an AIDS cure with a range of novel approaches being
explored, including stem cells, gene therapy, medications, and
immune response modifications, such as therapeutic vaccines.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF HIV/AIDS CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL
RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment of Research Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, acting through
the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, shall
establish and support an accelerated research program dedicated
to the discovery of a cure for HIV/AIDS.
(2) Administration.--The Secretary shall carry out the
research program established under paragraph (1) in
collaboration with--
(A) the Director of the National Institutes of
Health;
(B) the Director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and
(C) any head of a Federal agency that the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(b) Scope.--To provide the basis for developing a cure for HIV/
AIDS, the Secretary shall ensure that research conducted under
subsection (a)(1) is highly targeted to address the following
scientific questions and priorities:
(1) How HIV persists despite antiretroviral therapy.
(2) Where HIV persists beyond the reach of antiretroviral
therapy.
(3) Whether ongoing attempts of the immune system to clear
the infection actually hinders the ability of the medical
community to cure infected individuals.
(4) Why the immune system reduces but does not eliminate
levels of the virus.
(5) How to measure ultra-low levels of the virus in the
body of an infected individual.
(6) Identifying and testing interventions, such as drugs,
that may eliminate the virus from infected individuals.
(7) Identifying and testing interventions, such as
vaccines, that may help an infected individual permanently
control the virus without antiretroviral therapy.
(c) Assistance by Nonprofit Entities.--
(1) Coordination.--In carrying out the research program
established under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall
coordinate with at least one eligible nonprofit entity--
(A) whose primary mission is ending the AIDS
epidemic through innovative research; and
(B) that has experience carrying out programs
dedicated to AIDS cure research.
(2) Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall ensure that the
responsibilities of a nonprofit entity selected under paragraph
(1) include partnering with the Secretary to establish research
priorities for peer-reviewed funded research pursuant to
subsection (b).
(d) Annual Reports.--In each annual report on the Congressionally
Directed Medical Research Program that the Secretary submits to
Congress, the Secretary shall include information on the progress of
the research program established under subsection (a)(1).
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2014 through 2018.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
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