Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reported that the Senate has approved legislation that makes room in the federal budget to invest $2 billion in Indian Country.

The $2 billion investment in Indian Country is contained in the Global HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Bill (S. 2731) – a measure that authorizes $48 billion over the next five years to treat and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.  This is an authorization bill, which means funding would have to be appropriated by Congress.

Bingaman was a cosponsor of an amendment that authorizes $2 billion for Indian communities.  Of that amount, $1 billion would be set aside specifically for settling Indian water rights claims, such as Navajo, Taos and Aamodt, $750 million would be invested in law enforcement, and $250 million would be set aside for health care.

"This bill would help bring focus on the important issue of settling Indian water rights claims.  We have several claims in New Mexico that are close to being settled and this bill would help Congress pay to implement those agreements," Bingaman said.

Bingaman said he also strongly supports the underlying bill of treating people around the world for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.

"Too many people are dying of diseases that we know how to prevent and treat.  I am glad the United States is stepping up to provide this humanitarian aid," Bingaman said.

 Specifically, the bill would:

·        Help prevent 12 million new HIV infections (this target may rise over time);

·        Treat at least 3 million people ;

·        Support care for 12 million people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS, including support for 5 million orphans and children (this target may rise over time);

·        Help countries in their effort to achieve 80 percent access to counseling, testing and treatment to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child;

• Help countries to expand their health workforce with the goal of training and retaining at least 140,000 new health care workers and paraprofessionals, especially nurses and doctors.

Finally, the bill includes a provision cosponsored by Senator Bingaman that would eliminate a long standing discriminatory policy towards HIV positive visitors and immigrants attempting to enter the Unites States.  The United States is one of only 12 countries that bans travel and immigration to the country for people with HIV including Iraq, Libya, Russia, and the Sudan.

A bill must now be passed by the House of Representatives before it can be sent to President Bush for signature.