FEINGOLD, FEINSTEIN APPLAUD ADMINISTRATION'S SUPPORT FOR AMENDMENT WHICH PROMOTES HIV/AIDS DRUGS IN AFRICA February 25, 2000 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) applauded the Administration's decision to support the Feinstein-Feingold amendment to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which was included in the Senate-passed version of the bill. The Feinstein-Feingold amendment works to support the availability of HIV/AIDS drugs in Africa. Sandra Thurman, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, declared the Administration's support for the Feinstein-Feingold amendment during a hearing held yesterday by the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa, of which Feingold is the Ranking Member. The Feinstein-Feingold amendment was accepted into the final version of AGOA which is currently awaiting the Conference Committee, where differences between the House and Senate-passed bills will be reconciled. Specifically, the measure prohibits U.S. funds from being used to change an intellectual property law of an African country provided the law in question complies with international trade regulations. These U.S. funds could prevent lower cost HIV/AIDS drugs from becoming more available. "AIDS is attacking the most productive segment of society – the young adults who would otherwise be the engine of Africa's economy," Feingold said. "Moreover, the epidemic has left millions of African children orphaned, leaving them to take their place in society without the guidance and security that their parents would have provided. Taxpayer money should not be used to prevent countries from taking internationally legal measures in this AIDS emergency. The Feinstein-Feingold amendment addresses a trade-related issue of fundamental importance to Africa's human and economic development." "The impact of AIDS in Africa is huge. It's a major threat to the well-being of the entire continent. We must do everything in our power to ensure that the people of Africa are able to obtain low-cost generic drugs to combat AIDS," Senator Feinstein said. HIV/AIDS kills 5,500 Africans each day. Thirteen million African lives have been lost since the onset of the crisis. In some countries, life expectancies have been reduced by twenty years or more.

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