It is for this reason that I support this amendment which also makes it very clear that the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the full authority and discretion to continue to add or remove all other diseases included on the list. Some argue we do not need to have HIV as a medical exclusion because we have the public charge exclusion. which can be used to address the concerns about the health care costs of admitting aliens with the AIDS virus. The only way we know whether or not an immigrant Is infected with the AIDS virus is through the blood test that every immigrant must now provide to identify the presence of excludable diseases. If HIV infection is removed from the list now of excludable diseases. the consular offices will not know whether or not the intending immigrant has HIV infection in order to be able to make a judgment on the public charge exclusion. I hope that we can remember that in the debate. In other words. if we were to remove HIV as a medical exclusion and rely instead on the public charge exclusion. we would also have to provide that every intending immigrant submit to a blood test for HIV infection. Let me Just conclude by responding to a couple of items that have occurred in the debate. One of my fine colleagues stated that if this had been the law of Spain. that Magic Johnson could not have been able to play basketball in the Olympic games.
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