WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hundreds of AIDS activists from around the country converged Tuesday on the Capitol to push Congress to reauthorize a law funding treatments for the disease."I feel like people have kind of forgotten about HIV because people are not dropping dead as frequently as they used to," Darren Wells, 36, of Providence, Rhode Island, said at an outdoor rally organized by a new coalition, the Campaign to End AIDS. "The perception that it's over is not accurate."The Campaign to End AIDS organized caravans of activists who arrived in Washington by bus and on foot over the weekend. They spent the last several days holding marches and rallies, including a protest outside the White House on Monday. Two dozen activists were arrested after staging a "die-in" and ignoring orders from Park Police to get off the sidewalk.On Tuesday, the activists waved flags from dozens of different states at a rally before fanning out to visit lawmakers.On the agenda, pushing members of Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, which funds care and support services for people with HIV who lack health insurance and other resources.The law, which was funded at $2 billion last year, expired in September. The House and Senate are expected to take up reauthorization bills next year.Some lawmakers were encouraging. "It's life or death for a lot of people in this country," Rep. Mike Honda, D-California, said at a rally. "It's a global issue."The government issued a report earlier this year saying that more than 1 million Americans are believed to be living with HIV/AIDS. In 2003, an estimated 18,000 people died from AIDS.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.