text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Cure for AIDS Act of 2012''.
  
  SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS; FINDINGS.
  
      (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
              (1) finding a cure is essential to ending the AIDS epidemic 
          in the United States and globally;
              (2) AIDS treatment has saved millions of lives and also 
          makes it much less likely that HIV infection will be passed to 
          a partner;
              (3) access to AIDS treatment in the United States and 
          globally needs to continue to be expanded but AIDS treatment is 
          not a cure and not the ultimate solution for the tens of 
          millions of people living with HIV/AIDS;
              (4) the National Institutes of Health is the leading health 
          research organization in the world and has dedicated millions 
          of dollars to AIDS cure research;
              (5) to accelerate AIDS cure research and product 
          development, it is becoming increasingly important to invest in 
          areas that can complement the essential role of the National 
          Institutes of Health; and
              (6) a cure will save hundreds of millions of dollars in 
          spending and have a powerful positive economic impact globally.
      (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
              (1) It is estimated that in 2010 roughly 34,000,000 people 
          were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
              (2) In the United States, 1,200,000 Americans are estimated 
          to be infected with the virus.
              (3) Every 9.5 minutes, a citizen of the United States 
          becomes infected with HIV. Roughly 2,700,000 individuals, 
          including 390,000 children, became newly infected with HIV in 
          2010 alone.
              (4) In fiscal year 2012, the Federal Government spent 
          $27,700,000,000 on HIV/AIDS, the largest component being 
          services and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in the 
          United States at a cost of $15,600,000,000. The average 
          lifetime cost of HIV treatment is estimated to be $367,134 per 
          person.
              (5) In the last two years, discoveries have led to growing 
          optimism in the scientific community that a cure for AIDS can 
          be found. The eradication of HIV from the body of one 
          individual in Germany has led many scientific leaders to 
          believe that curing AIDS is now possible. Leading researchers 
          believe we are now at the cutting edge of scientific discovery 
          for an AIDS cure with a range of novel approaches being 
          explored, including stem cells, gene therapy, medications, and 
          immune response modifications, such as therapeutic vaccines.
  
  SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF HIV/AIDS CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL 
                RESEARCH PROGRAM.
  
      (a) Establishment of Research Program.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, acting through 
          the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, shall 
          establish and support an accelerated research program dedicated 
          to the discovery of a cure for HIV/AIDS.
              (2) Administration.--The Secretary shall carry out the 
          research program established under paragraph (1) in 
          collaboration with--
                      (A) the Director of the National Institutes of 
                  Health;
                      (B) the Director of the National Institute of 
                  Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and
                      (C) any head of a Federal agency that the Secretary 
                  determines appropriate.
      (b) Scope.--To provide the basis for developing a cure for HIV/
  AIDS, the Secretary shall ensure that research conducted under 
  subsection (a)(1) is highly targeted to address the following 
  scientific questions and priorities:
              (1) How HIV persists despite antiretroviral therapy.
              (2) Where HIV persists beyond the reach of antiretroviral 
          therapy.
              (3) Whether ongoing attempts of the immune system to clear 
          the infection actually hinders the ability of the medical 
          community to cure infected individuals.
              (4) Why the immune system reduces but does not eliminate 
          levels of the virus.
              (5) How to measure ultra-low levels of the virus in the 
          body of an infected individual.
              (6) Identifying and testing interventions, such as drugs, 
          that may eliminate the virus from infected individuals.
              (7) Identifying and testing interventions, such as 
          vaccines, that may help an infected individual permanently 
          control the virus without antiretroviral therapy.
      (c) Assistance by Nonprofit Entities.--
              (1) Coordination.--In carrying out the research program 
          established under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall 
          coordinate with at least one eligible nonprofit entity--
                      (A) whose primary mission is ending the AIDS 
                  epidemic through innovative research; and
                      (B) that has experience carrying out programs 
                  dedicated to AIDS cure research.
              (2) Responsibilities.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
          responsibilities of a nonprofit entity selected under paragraph 
          (1) include partnering with the Secretary to establish research 
          priorities for peer-reviewed funded research pursuant to 
          subsection (b).
      (d) Annual Reports.--In each annual report on the Congressionally 
  Directed Medical Research Program that the Secretary submits to 
  Congress, the Secretary shall include information on the progress of 
  the research program established under subsection (a)(1).
      (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 
  years 2013 through 2017.
target: Cure for AIDS Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD), through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, to establish and support an accelerated research program dedicated to discovering a cure for HIV/AIDS.
  
  Instructs the Secretary to collaborate with the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other appropriate federal agencies.
  
  Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that such research is highly targeted, (2) coordinate with at least one eligible nonprofit entity, and (3) ensure that the responsibilities of the non-profit entity include partnering with the Secretary in establishing research priorities.
feat_title: To establish a research program under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense to discover a cure for HIV/AIDS.