New legislation to reauthorize the nation’s federal efforts to fight Lyme disease was announced yesterday on Capitol Hill. Known as the TICK Act, the bill authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) with lead sponsors Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-NJ) and Paul Tonko (D-NY), will provide continued funding for Lyme disease research at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Senator Susan Collins is the author of this legislation in the US Senate.

            “Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are exploding in the United States, particularly in my home state of New Jersey, where the CDC recorded over 7,000 new cases in 2023 alone,” said Smith, Co-Chair of the House Lyme Disease Caucus. “The federal government can and must continue to support research into surveillance, treatments and ultimately a cure for this debilitating disease.”

            “With Austin summers now stretching from April through November and temperatures rising across the country, tick-related illnesses like Lyme Disease are on the rise,” said Doggett, who co-leads the Lyme Disease Caucus with Smith.  “The TICK Act is an important recommitment to our investment in research, education, treatment, and prevention of these dreaded diseases.” 

            “No one should have to live with the constant worry of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) like Lyme disease, which affect thousands of Americans each year and pose serious threats to their health and well-being,” said Kean, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. “H.R. 4348 is a key step toward better understanding these diseases and advancing the tools, treatments, and vaccines needed to fight against them. I am pleased to cosponsor this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the critical Kay Hagan Tick Act and help protect families and communities across the country from the growing threat of tick-borne illnesses.”

            As introduced, H.R. 4348, officially named the Ticks: Identify, Control, Knockout Act, will dedicate $10 million for regional Centers for Excellence to conduct research on tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease and provide training to public health professionals on how to prevent and treat tick bites and track the pathogens they spread. The bill also provides $20 million to states in areas at high risk of Lyme and other vector-borne disease outbreaks to work with the federal government to identify and respond in the event of such outbreaks.

            Since 1993, Smith has authored comprehensive amendments and legislation to improve research, federal collaboration, and the lives of those suffering from Lyme disease.  Most recently, he secured an additional $1 million in funding for the CDC which created—for the first time—a new whole-of-government national strategy to combat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. The CDC released its National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People in February 2024, marking the largest formal, coordinated federal effort on the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases like Lyme.

            “This legislation funds vital research into treatment and prevention of tick bites and enables states to greater cooperate with the federal government to control outbreaks,” said Smith. “I am hopeful we can get this bill across the finish line and secure this critical funding.”

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Contact:
Teagan Gambert (202) 225-3765
http://chrissmith.house.gov