S. 5499: Strengthening Tick-borne disease Opposition and Prevention Through Investment in Collaboration, Knowledge, and Surveillance Act

This bill would extend and update several federal efforts aimed at preventing and responding to tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease and similar illnesses.

What it changes

• It reauthorizes the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, a federal advisory group that reviews tick-borne disease issues and makes recommendations to Congress and federal agencies.
• It expands the group’s focus from work within the Department of Health and Human Services to coordination across the entire federal government.
• It increases the number of members on the working group from 7 to 13 and updates the list of federal agencies involved, adding agencies such as the Forest Service, National Park Service, EPA, Fish and Wildlife Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Defense Health Agency.
• It extends funding for a national strategy and regional centers of excellence in vector-borne diseases from $10 million per year for fiscal years 2021–2025 to $12 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030.
• It extends funding for support to state and local health departments that deal with vector-borne diseases from $20 million per year for fiscal years 2021–2025 to $21 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030.

Practical effect

In plain terms, the bill would keep federal tick-borne disease programs going for several more years, expand the number of agencies involved in planning and coordination, and provide somewhat higher funding levels for research, coordination, and public health support related to diseases spread by ticks and other vectors.

Relevant Companies

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