At the peak of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s, a diagnosis of HIV was considered a death sentence. Now, with medical research and development, people living with HIV or AIDS can have long fulfilling lives.

Wednesday marked Long-Term Survivors Day, which is meant to honor those who are still living with the disease and to raise awareness for the needs of this community.

New York and Nevada are the only two states in the country not to conform with the CDC guidance of opt-out testing for HIV screenings, which Perry Junjulas, a long-term survivor and executive director of the Albany Damien Center, finds unacceptable.

“Back in the day when I found out I was HIV positive, it taught me to take care of myself. It taught me and it allowed me to get on the medications that were coming out. And so the fact that we’re almost withholding this from people to me is a crime," Junjulas said.

According to data from the CDC, one in seven people nationwide don’t know that they have the disease. Further, a study from the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute found that 18% of new HIV diagnoses were accompanied by a concurrent diagnosis of AIDS. Earlier testing could mean earlier treatment options and improved outcomes.

Legislation sponsored by Assemblymember Amy Paulin and state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal has been floating around the state Capitol for years and with the session scheduled to end this week, the clock is ticking to get it over the finish line. The bill would require notice that an HIV test will be performed, but that it is voluntary and would provide information on pre- and post-exposure medications known as PrEP or PEP.

Hoylman-Sigal, the state Senate sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement that New York’s current law is “outdated” and added that “knowledge is power and that is truly the case in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”

According to the senator’s office, they are “hopeful” that it will receive a full vote and pass on Thursday. If the bill passes the Senate, it will be delivered to the governor’s office for her signature or veto.