World AIDS Day – Public Policy Timeline

Why World AIDS Day Matters for Public Policy

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for organizations to reflect on the impact of public policy in shaping the ongoing national response to HIV. This HIV Policy Timeline highlights key milestones over the past four decades, showing how legislation and federal initiatives have influenced everything from workplace protections to global health funding. These policies continue to inform corporate responsibility, healthcare benefits, and inclusion strategies.

Major U.S. HIV Policy Timeline

• 1981 – First HIV cases are identified, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) publishes initial reports of a rare pneumonia in young, gay men, which would eventually be known as HIV.  
• 1987 – The Helms Amendment and the HIV Travel Ban are adopted. The Helms Amendment banned federal funds for HIV education materials that seem to “promote or encourage” homosexuality or drug use. The U.S. Public Health Service adds HIV to its immigration exclusion list, effectively banning people living with HIV from entering the country.  
• 1988 – The Health Omnibus Programs Extension (HOPE) Act is signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, making it the first comprehensive federal HIV bill. This legislation authorizes funds for HIV prevention, education, and testing, and establishes the Office of AIDS Research at the NIH. 
• 1990 – Americans with Disabilities Act is signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment and public accommodations. The Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) consistently interpret the law to include those with symptomatic and asymptomatic HIV infection. The Ryan White CARE Act also passes, creating the largest federally funded HIV-specific grant program for low-income and uninsured people with HIV.  
• 1993 – President Bill Clinton signs the Family and Medical Leave Act into law. FMLA allows eligible employees to take job-protected, unpaid leave for severe medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS, or to care for an immediate family member. 
• 2003 – President George W. Bush launches the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), committing US funds to address HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in countries with high transmission rates.  
• 2010 – President Barack Obama lifts the HIV travel and immigration ban after nearly 25 years of enforcement.    
• 2013 – President Barak Obama signs into law the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (also known as the HOPE Act), allowing people living with HIV to accept organs from donors who are or were living with HIV, improving transplant opportunities.  
• 2019 – President Donald Trump launches the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative with the goal of reducing new HIV infections in the U.S. by 90% by 2030. 
• 2025 – The HIV policy environment faces significant uncertainty due to major federal policy shifts including the closure of USAID and the expiration of key legislative authorizations, such as PEPFAR, which expired in March 2025. Click here for more in-depth analysis on key policy changes in the FY26 budget request.  

Timeline adapted from: https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/history/hiv-and-aids-timeline