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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to briefly discuss a reauthorization bill introduced yesterday by Senators JEFFORDS and KENNEDY, the Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2000, S. 2311. This legislation is very important in that it will help to continue to improve the quality and availability of care for low-income, uninsured, and under insured individuals and families affected by AIDS and HIV disease. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this initiative.
Ryan White died on April 8, 1990 at age 18. He was a prime example of someone whose own community rejected him when he was only 13 years old because of his health status. As a result of his courageous battle to attend public school in Indiana, we all learned and understood more about AIDS. Ryan White played a major role in changing people's views concerning the disease and AIDS patients. Through his actions, he conveyed the importance of education and awareness to combat the spread of this deadly disease. Even after his death, the story of his courageous battle with AIDS continues to impact the common man. His legacy lives on through the Ryan White CARE Act.
This reauthorization provides us the opportunity to improve this bipartisan legislation to adequately care for those persons affected with AIDS and HIV. As noted by Ryan's mother, Jeanne, ``We have come a long way since Ryan's death, but we still have so far to go.'' Although the number of AIDS cases continues to decline each year, the number of HIV-positive individuals continues to grow at an alarming rate. This legislation would expand the duties of the Planning Council, provide for a Quality Management Program, establish requirements for heath care referral relationships, fund early intervention services, and improve resources for infants, children, and women. Until a cure is found, the Ryan White CARE Act will continue to be the ``payer of last resort'' for thousands of individuals who otherwise cannot afford health care or basic subsistence needs. In my home State of Rhode Island, $3,463,706 of Ryan White CARE funding was provided during fiscal year 1999 to ensure access to life-sustaining drugs and other critical health and social services for those individuals affected with AIDS and HIV.
Because AIDS and HIV is a national problem, it deserves national attention. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to make further enhancements and improvements to the bill. Specifically, I understand my colleague, Senator BINGAMAN, has been working on a provision that would allow more states to have access to dental care grant funding under Part F of the act. I believe this is a very important issue for individuals with HIV and AIDS and hope this provision will be incorporated into the overall bill.
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