ANNAPOLIS – Without debate, Maryland delegates approved a bill Thursday to establish a task force to study HIV in state prisons.
The bill passed 134 to 3 in a House floor vote and will be sent to the Senate for a hearing.
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, D-Baltimore, sponsored the bill because she and supporters say lawmakers should be concerned about HIV in state prisons.
“I think it’s something they need to come together and discuss,” Nathan-Pulliam said.
The task force will study issues of treatment, the prevalence of HIV, confidentiality and the climate in prison facilities.
Currently, 460 inmates housed by the Department of Corrections are living with AIDS, said Liza Solomon, director of AIDS Administration for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. -30-