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HCR47 • 2025

RECOGNIZING RISING HIV INFECTION RATES, FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS, AND GROWING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN DELAWARE.

RECOGNIZING RISING HIV INFECTION RATES, FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS, AND GROWING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN DELAWARE.

Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Morrison
Last action
2025-05-14
Official status
Passed 5/14/25
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill is a Concurrent Resolution (HCR47), which expresses legislative opinion but does not have the force of law or appropriate state funds.

Recognizing Rising HIV Rates and Funding Cuts in Delaware

This resolution states that new HIV cases are rising in Delaware while federal money for prevention has dropped sharply, and it encourages local leaders to work together on solutions.

What This Bill Does

  • States that new HIV diagnoses in Delaware rose by 26% since 2020.
  • Notes that federal funding for HIV prevention fell from $1.539 million in Fiscal Year 2023 to $490,000 in Fiscal Year 2024.
  • Identifies Black and Hispanic residents, LGBTQ+ individuals, and rural people as groups hit hardest by these changes.
  • Encourages healthcare providers, advocacy organizations, and community leaders to work together on prevention efforts.
  • Sends copies of this resolution to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and state health officials.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Healthcare providers in Delaware
  • Advocacy organizations working on HIV issues
  • Community leaders across the state

Terms To Know

Concurrent Resolution
A formal statement passed by both houses of a legislature that expresses an opinion or position but does not create new laws.
PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)
Medicine taken to prevent HIV infection before exposure occurs, mentioned as part of essential prevention efforts.
Harm Reduction
Programs designed to lower the negative health and social effects of drug use without requiring immediate abstinence, listed as an essential service supported by federal funds.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This resolution does not create new laws or spend state money.
  • The text encourages collaboration but does not specify how much time leaders have to respond.
  • It identifies the funding gap and need for services but does not detail specific plans on how the funding will be replaced.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced in House

  2. 2025-05-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed In House by Voice Vote

  3. 2025-05-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

Official Summary Text

RECOGNIZING RISING HIV INFECTION RATES, FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS, AND GROWING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN DELAWARE.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes the escalating HIV crisis in Delaware and the drastic reduction in federal HIV prevention funding. The Resolution encourages healthcare providers, advocacy organizations, and community leaders to collaborate in exploring avenues to reduce HIV infections and ensuring equitable access to preventative care statewide.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Morrison & Sen. Sturgeon

Reps. Griffith, Phillips, Ross Levin, Snyder-Hall, S. Moore, Bush, Harris; Sen. Cruce

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 47

RECOGNIZING RISING HIV INFECTION RATES, FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS, AND GROWING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, Delaware has experienced a 26% increase in new HIV diagnoses since 2020, reflecting a continuing and alarming upward trend in infections; and

WHEREAS, federal HIV prevention funding for Delaware has been drastically reduced—from $1,539,000 in Fiscal Year 2023 to $490,000 in Fiscal Year 2024—a nearly 70% decrease, including the elimination of funding from the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention; and

WHEREAS, Delaware has historically depended on federal resources to support essential HIV prevention efforts such as free HIV testing, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) navigation, harm reduction programs, and community outreach; and

WHEREAS, Black and Hispanic Delawareans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and residents in rural areas are disproportionately affected by these funding cuts, exacerbating existing health disparities and limiting access to life-saving prevention services; and

WHEREAS, untreated and undiagnosed HIV increases transmission, worsens health outcomes, and places a greater financial and operational burden on Delaware’s already strained healthcare system; and

WHEREAS, the Governor’s Transition Report identifies preventative services and early intervention as key strategies to address social determinants of health, lower healthcare costs, reduce hospital reliance, and improve population health outcomes; and

WHEREAS, community-based prevention services are essential to reaching high-risk and underserved populations, and their erosion due to funding cuts threatens to reverse progress in HIV prevention across the state.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the General Assembly acknowledges the growing risk of increasing HIV infection rates in the state.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State should encourage community-based prevention services, expanded HIV testing, PrEP access, harm reduction strategies, and culturally responsive outreach programs to mitigate health disparities and reduce the burden on Delaware’s healthcare system.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly

encourages healthcare providers, advocacy organizations, and community leaders to collaborate in exploring avenues to reduce HIV infections and ensuring equitable access to preventative care statewide.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be delivered to the Governor of the State of Delaware, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.

SYNOPSIS

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes the escalating HIV crisis in Delaware and the drastic reduction in federal HIV prevention funding. The Resolution encourages healthcare providers, advocacy organizations, and community leaders to collaborate in exploring avenues to reduce HIV infections and ensuring equitable access to preventative care statewide.