I look forward to the Secretarys review of the most current information on the extent to which tobacco and alcohol use by adolescents serve as a gateway to illicit drug use. The study should also examine the comparative health effects of legal and illegal drugs. Finally. on a separate issue. the bill codifies the Bush administrations practice of including HIV infection on the list of communicable diseases of public health significance for immigration purposes. That provision is unwise and many of us opposed it. because it takes an important public health decision out of the hands of the Public Health Service. Rather than doing anything to protect the public health. this provision simply panders to prejudice. However. under this compromise. the Attorney General will continue to have authority under the immigration laws to determine which immigrants. refugees. and other visitors with HIV disease and AIDS will be permitted to enter the United States. I am confident that Attorney General Reno will use this waiver authority with thoughtfulness and compassion. but it would be far preferable for the Department of Health and Human Services to retain the authority to remove HIV from the list altogether. Overall. this is an excellent bill and both the Senate and the House can be proud of their achievement.
Keywords matched
refugees immigrants immigration