status, which are counterproductive . (15) In February 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America,” a new initiative with an ambitious goal to end the domestic HIV epidemic in ten years by reducing new cases of HIV by 75 percent by 2025 and by 90 percent by 2030. In this plan, HHS notes that stigma “can be a debilitating barrier preventing people living with, or at risk for, HIV from receiving the health care, services, and respect they need and deserve.” Many of the States and jurisdictions identified as a priority for the first five years of the plan have stigma-based criminal statutes for perceived exposure to HIV. These statutes run counter to the goals of this new initiative and stand in the way of ending the domestic HIV epidemic. 22703. Sense of Congress regarding laws or regulations directed at people living with HIV It is the sense of Congress that Federal and State laws, policies, and regulations regarding people living with HIV— (1) should not place unique or additional burdens on such individuals solely as a result of their HIV status