State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16th) has introduced legislation, Senate Bill 2971 that will allow Illinoisans to continue to play the Quality of Life scratch-off lottery game after the end of 2012. The “Red Ribbon Cash” game has raised over $2.4 million for prevention education and treatment. If this legislation becomes law, it will continue to fund the fight against HIV/AIDS for five additional years.
Currently, the Illinois Lottery Commission, can sell instant Quality of Life scratch-off tickets, through its existing vendors. The proceeds are deposited into the Quality of Life Endowment Fund, which is kept separate from the state’s general revenues. The Quality of Life Board then awards the money in the fund to qualified non-profit organizations. Half of the money earned from the games must go to groups with annual budgets of less than $300,000. Grant recipients must be engaged in prevention education or treatment of HIV/AIDS, and they must serve a population at a heightened risk of contracting HIV or developing AIDS.
In Illinois, 53.4 percent of new AIDS diagnoses in 2009 were among African-American residents, although only 14.5 percent of Illinois’ total population is black. More than four times as many African-American women are living with HIV in Illinois. For African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death.
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that Illinois is the eighth in the nation for highest cumulative number of AIDS cases. The Illinois Department of Public Health HIV/AIDS Surveillance Unit and Reporting System reports Illinois has more than 37,000 reported cases and 20,000 deaths since 1981. The department also estimates that more than 8,300 HIV-positive Illinois residents do not know they are HIV-positive.
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