2015 USCA Newsmaker: Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Cong. Barbara Lee speaks at USCA 2015

California Congresswoman Barbara Lee hopes to see the eradication of HIV/AIDS in her lifetime. But instead of just hoping it will happen, Lee has worked tirelessly to make it a reality. In fact, Lee has either authored or co-authored every major piece of legislation concerning HIV/AIDS and she isn't stopping there.

Representative Lee is looking to pass a slew of new bills that will protect those living with HIV/AIDS, expand sex education and restore funding to programs hampered by sequestration.

"It's a tough place on Capitol Hill," Rep. Lee said at Thursday's Newsmakers session with USCA's social media fellows. "These budget cuts have taken a huge hit, especially on our domestic programs. We want sequestration to end and we want the caps raised so we can begin to fund initiatives such as additional funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, the Minority AIDS Initiative, all of our HIV/AIDS strategies."

While a lack of funding has hindered many of the initiatives targeting the country's at-risk populations, Rep. Lee said support for the federal government's HIV/AIDS programs crosses political lines.

"Right now we're in a very dismal situation where it relates to funding, but not like other programs," she explained. "I think that's a testament to people organizing and mobilizing around Ryan White, which has been kept as a bipartisan initiative."

Rep. Lee hopes to capitalize on the programs' bipartisan support to pass a whole slate of bills.

So what's on her agenda? Here are three initiatives Rep. Lee hopes to move through Congress next.

H.R. 1586: Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act of 2015

"We went around the world looking at laws that criminalize HIV, and we learned through our testimony and research the United States is a bad actor also. We have thirty-something states that still have these laws on the books, so we're working with the Justice Department and the White House to help states get these laws off the books."

H.R. 1706: Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2015

"Our young people deserve access to comprehensive sex education and information so they can make healthy decisions, live healthy lives, and develop healthy relationships. In the past we've only funded abstinence-only initiatives, which just don't work. So, we're trying to get those abstinence-only laws off the books and pass this law that allows for federal funding for schools and states to develop comprehensive sex education."

H.Res. 182: Supporting the goals and ideals of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

"Up until a couple of years ago we'd never recognized youth with HIV/AIDS on the Hill, and young people brought it to my attention that we'd never really paid much attention to them. So every year we re-introduce the resolution."

Despite her colleagues' desire to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Rep. Lee said she needs the public's support to pass her legislative slate.

"I'm hopeful because we've done a lot over the years, but we have a long way to go. All of this can be done but it takes a heck of a lot," she explained. "The politics are very difficult, but you all have the ability to get the word out. On both sides of the aisle we understand the gravity of this and understand the fact that it's unacceptable. Everyone knows we have to do this work and get to an AIDS-free generation."

Britni Danielle is a Los Angeles-based writer and novelist who frequently covers pop culture, race and parenting.