Legislative Agendas

New York City Policy Agenda 2010–2011

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Executive Summary:
GMHC strongly urges action on the recommendations laid out in this policy agenda.  These recommendations spell out some steps that will avert new infections and adequately treat, care for and offer support to those already living with HIV.

New York City Policy Priorities:

• Implement effective age appropriate comprehensive sex education in all New York City schools.
• Promote affirming environments for youth in New York City, including LGBT youth.
• Adequately fund HIV prevention, treatment and care services in New York City.
• Address the needs of people over fifty living with HIV/AIDS.
• Create a division of LGBT youth services within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
• Address the social and economic factors that contribute to the continued HIV epidemic.
• Improve health care access for LGBT New Yorkers.
• Promote ending health disparities based on race, sexuality, and immigration status.
• Expand stable and affordable housing for people living with HIV.
• Address factors that make black and Latina women particularly susceptible to HIV infection.
• Expand access to syringe exchange as an effective HIV and blood borne disease prevention method.
• Promote condom use as HIV prevention and remove barriers to condom use by vulnerable New Yorkers.
• Support state and federal initiatives to improve the wellbeing of LGBT and HIV affected New Yorkers.

GMHC Federal Policy Agenda, 2009

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Top Priorities:

• Develop U.S. national AIDS strategy
• Repeal the HIV immigration and travel ban
• Repeal the federal ban on syringe ex change
• Defund abstinence-only-until-marriage programs
• Funding and implementation comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education in schools
• Lifting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blood ban on men who have sex with men (MSM) blood donors

GMHC State Policy Agenda, 2009

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• Expand outreach for HIV testing, while maintaining written informed consent
• Promote comprehensive sex education in New York’s schools
• Increase funding for public assistance and a strengthening of the safety net for New York’s most vulnerable residents, including Medicaid Managed Care
• Invest in statewide HIV research initiative to attract federal research funding to New York State

GMHC City Policy Agenda, 2008

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Prevention

• Decrease new infections among young women of color
• Decrease new infections among young men who have sex with men
• Secure funding streams for HIV prevention and services in communities of color
• Expand sex education and gay-affirming interventions with youth in schools
• Support microbicide development

Housing and Essential Services

• Pass HASA for  All (Int. 691)
• Make necessary changes to HASA’s housing placement services as recommended by the NYC Office of the Comptroller
• Increases HASA enhanced rental assistance to 110% fair market rent (FMR)

Testing

• Expand HIV testing while maintaining written informed consent

For more information on GMHC Legislative Agengas, please contact advocate@gmhc.org or call 212.367.1247.