A bill intended to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among prisoners and reduce the risk of transmission following their release was reintroduced by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D–Calif.). She announced the news on March 11 at the Congressional Summit on the Effects of HIV and Incarceration on Communities of Color, an event sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC).

The Stop AIDS in Prison Act requires the Bureau of Prisons to test all federal inmates for the virus when they enter prison and again before their release, unless the inmate chooses not to take the test. The bill also requires comprehensive treatment for those who test positive and prevention education for all inmates.

The bill’s original House cosponsors include John Conyers (D–Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; Lamar Smith (R–Texas), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee; and Robert Scott (D–Va.), chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, which has jurisdiction over federal prisons.

The House of Representatives first passed the Stop AIDS in Prison Act in 2007 by voice vote, but the Senate has not passed the legislation.