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H.R. 5501, Tom Lantos & Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008

August 4, 2009
Floor Statement
Rep. Maxine Waters [D-CA]: Madam Speaker, I strongly support the rule for H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. This bill authorizes $48 billion over the next 5 years for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Madam Speaker and Members, on June 27 stars of the screen, stage, and studio paid tribute to former South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Hollywood star Will Smith hosted a birthday celebration concert honoring Mr. Mandela who turned 90, along with nearly 50,000 cheering fans, in London's Hyde Park.

The event was organized to support Mandela's HIV/AIDS charity 46664, named for the number assigned him as a onetime political prisoner, and comes 20 years after another London concert on his behalf while he was still behind bars for his stand against apartheid.

"Twenty years ago, London hosted a historic concert which called for our freedom," a frail-looking Mr. Mandela told a waving crowd. "Your voices carried across the water and inspired us in our prison cells far away," he said. "As we celebrate, let us remind ourselves that our work is far from complete. Where there is poverty and sickness, especially including AIDS, where human beings are being oppressed, there is more work to be done."

Indeed there is more work to be done. I was in South Africa a short while ago, and everywhere I went in South Africa, people told me about the terrible problems they have trying to fill professional positions. The shortage of educated professionals is a result of the fact that so many South African professionals have died of AIDS or are too sick to work.

The involvement of doctors, nurses, teachers and other professionals is critical to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS. That is why I'm pleased that this bill includes provisions to strengthen the health care infrastructure.

This bill will strengthen the health care infrastructure in countries like South Africa and train at least 140,000 new health care professionals and workers for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care. The bill also includes prevention funds to stop the spread of HIV and treatment funds to allow infected individuals to live productive lives and continue to serve their communities.

This is an important bill. I thank again all of our leaders for the work that they have done to bring this bill before us.

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