The "For Whom the Bell Tolls" alternative vigils are designed to call attention to the failure of HIV prevention policies, especially those pursued by the U.S. government globally. The PATHWAY Act (Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2006) would change those failing U.S. global HIV prevention policies. We encourage you to include a call for passage of the PATHWAY Act in your For Whom the Bell Tolls event. (The planning guide will give you more information about how to do this.)

PATHWAY Act of 2006
The bipartisan PATHWAY Act of 2006 (Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2006), introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee as H.R.5674, would require the President and the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) to establish a comprehensive and integrated HIV prevention strategy to address the vulnerabilities of women and girls to HIV infection and would strike the earmark requiring that one-third (1/3) of all prevention funding be dedicated to abstinence-until-marriage programs. The PATHWAY Act currently has 84 Congressional co-sponsors.

The PATHWAY Bill has more than 75 Local, State, and National Endorsing Organizations (link)

If your representative is a co-sponsor of PATHWAY, you may consider thanking him/her for co-sponsorship during the vigil and calling for continued leadership. You may want to invite him/her to speak at the vigil. 

If your representative is not a co-sponsor of PATHWAY, you will want to call on him/her to become a co-sponsor. You may even want to hold the vigil in front of his/her office. Certainly you will want to name him/her in your press release and during your vigil.

Congressional Co-Sponsors:
Originating Congressperson: Barbara Lee [CA-9]

Co-sponsors (84): Leach, James A. [IA-2]*; Lantos, Tom [CA-12]*; Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14]*; Brown, Corrine [FL-3]*; Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18]*; Jefferson, William J. [LA-2]*; Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10]*; Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4]*; Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC]*; Honda, Michael M. [CA-15]*; Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9]*; McDermott, Jim [WA-7]*; Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14]*; Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30]*; Berman, Howard L. [CA-28]*; Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6]*; Waters, Maxine [CA-35]*; McGovern, James P. [MA-3]*; Crowley, Joseph [NY-7]*; Brown, Sherrod [OH-13]*; McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4]*; Wexler, Robert [FL-19]*; Christensen, Donna M. [VI]*; Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6]*; McCollum, Betty [MN-4]*; Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8]*; Shays, Christopher [CT-4]*; Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6]*; Capps, Lois [CA-23]*; Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3]*; McKinney, Cynthia A. [GA-4]*; Owens, Major R. [NY-11]*; Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7]*; Carnahan, Russ [MO-3]*; Wynn, Albert Russell [MD-4]*; Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32]*; Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8]*; Davis, Danny K. [IL-7]*; Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13]*; Frank, Barney [MA-4]*; Moran, James P. [VA-8]*; Scott, Robert C. [VA-3]*; Clyburn, James E. [SC-6]*; Delahunt, William D. [MA-10]*; Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13]*; Sanders, Bernard [VT]*; Watson, Diane E. [CA-33]*; Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1]*; Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10]*; Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7]*; Lewis, John [GA-5]*; Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10]*; Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2]*; Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2]*; Carson, Julia [IN-7]*; Harman, Jane [CA-36]*; Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15]; Meek, Kendrick B. [FL-17]; Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23]; Green, Al [TX-9]; Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29]; Fattah, Chaka [PA-2]; Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25]; Moore, Gwen [WI-4]; Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16]; Miller, Brad [NC-13]; Berkley, Shelley [NV-1]; Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10]; Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD-3]; Jones, Stephanie Tubbs [OH-11]; Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12]; Price, David E. [NC-4]; Tierney, John F. [MA-6]; Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1]; Miller, George [CA-7]; Moore, Dennis [KS-3]; Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8]; Neal, Richard E. [MA-2]; Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1]; Smith, Adam [WA-9]; Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22]; Simmons, Rob [CT-2]; Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30]; Rep Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12] (for an alphabetical listing, visit the Library of Congress's page on the bill

(* original co-sponsors)

For more information about the PATHWAY Act click here