S 1553

Summary:  The HIV Prevention Act will remove the funding restriction in current law requiring that at least 33 percent of all global HIV prevention funding go toward abstinence-until-marriage programs, enabling comprehensive prevention programs responding to local community needs. The current funding restriction is in the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003, which is the foundation for PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

What You Should Know:  In two separate evaluations, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found that the abstinence-until-marriage earmark is hindering prevention programs.  Both non-partisan organizations have agreed to the following conclusions:

• The 33 percent abstinence spending requirement is squeezing out available funding for other key HIV prevention programs, such as mother-to-child transmission and maintaining a health blood supply. (GAO)
• The spending requirement limited or reduced funding for programs directed to high-risk groups, such as sexually active youth. (GAO)
• The majority of country teams on the ground reported that meeting the spending requirement challenges their ability to develop interventions that are responsive to local epidemiology and social norms. (GAO)
• There is no evidence to support a 33 percent abstinence-until-marriage earmark. (IOM)
• The 33 percent earmark does not allow country teams on the ground the flexibility they need to respond to local needs. (IOM)

Similar to the PATHWAY Act, the HIV Prevention Act takes direct aim at the restrictions that tie the hands of country teams, keeping them from understanding the most effective prevention efforts where they work.  On June 28, the House voted to lift the 33 percent requirement for abstinence-until-marriage programs in the FY08 HIV programs.

Primary Sponsors: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Introduction date: 6/6/2007

Last Major Action:

6/6/2007 Referred to Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.