Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act

Mr. President, I will soon ask that the Senate pass S. 2398, the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act. The Tick Act was approved by the Senate HELP Committee more than a year ago with strong bipartisan support.

I am proud to have authorized the original Tick Act in 2019 with my colleague Senator Tina Smith. Our bipartisan legislation strengthens Federal efforts to confront the alarming public health threat posed by Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

The Tick Act essentially has three parts: First, it reauthorizes funding for the CDC's four Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases; second, it extends grants to State and local public health departments to help them treat, test for, and conduct public education

campaigns about ticks and other vector-borne diseases; and, third, it requires HHS to implement its national strategy to combat vector-borne diseases.

Our bill is named after our former colleague Senator Kay Hagan. Kay, with whom I had the pleasure of serving, passed away in October of 2019 at the age of 66 from complications of a deadly tick-borne illness known as the Powassan virus. It is my hope that reauthorizing the Tick Act will help prevent future tragedies such as this one.

Tick-borne diseases are a major public health concern, and the incidents have exploded over the past 20 years. Each year, the State of Maine has hit a new record high in the number of cases of Lyme disease. Last year, Maine reported 4,257 cases. Undoubtedly, that understates the number of cases because many are not reported. But that amount alone is more than double the number of cases reported in my home State just 6 years ago. Current projections show that 2026 will yet again be a record-setting year. This is a record that we do not want to set.

The Lewiston Sun Journal reported just last week that every community in Maine's Franklin County faces a high risk of tick encounters for this season. Nevertheless, I am encouraged that we are making progress, and we have made progress in the 6 years since this law was first enacted.

For example, a clinical trial for a Lyme disease vaccine is underway right now at the MaineHealth Institute for Research. It has always struck me, as I run, that every year my beloved Labrador retriever can get a vaccine for tick diseases and yet we cannot--we humans cannot-- and I am hoping this clinical trial will be successful, and it will make a real difference.

Reauthorizing the Kay Hagan Tick Act would allow crucial projects, such as that research and others across the United States and public education campaigns--which are so important in teaching people what to do if they have a tick bite--that will all be allowed to continue.

I want to thank Senator Smith for partnering with me on this reauthorization, and I would note that we have 21 bipartisan cosponsors. I urge all of my colleagues to support this lifesaving legislation.

Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 154, S. 2398.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be considered and agreed to and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our very distinguished chairman, Brett Guthrie, for his extraordinary leadership on this and other issues related to health especially. He is a champion, and he is doing a tremendous job for the entire country. I thank Brett for what he is doing.

I thank his staff and my friends on the other side of the aisle for their work on this bill. This has been a bipartisan effort.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass S. 2398, a 5-year reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act, a law that expires on September 30. It was sponsored by Senator Collins of Maine.

My colleagues will recall that our distinguished colleague from North Carolina, Senator Kay Hagan, suffered a tick bite and died in 2019 from encephalitis caused by the Powassan virus. The current law and reauthorization are named in her honor.

I point out to my colleagues that, in 2019, the Kay Hagan Tick Act was passed as part of the 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The act created, among other things, a whole-of-government national strategy to combat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases with a special focus on surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, education, and prevention.

The national strategy, which was later released in 2024, has identified key public health goals to contain, reduce, and eventually eliminate Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses. It is a strategy that I am heartened to say that Secretary Kennedy has not only adopted, but he has used it as a floor. He has done so much above and beyond the strategy to try to end this terrible, terrible scourge of tick-borne diseases.

The bill before us tonight, like the original law, authorizes $50 million over 5 years for the regional centers of excellence, which coordinate with academia and local public health agencies to conduct research on Lyme in their areas and train public health officials to properly identify and treat Lyme.

Continuing funding will ensure that these centers can continue to conduct groundbreaking research and ultimately generate new prevention strategies and insights on tick-borne diseases.

The legislation also provides $100 million over 5 years to tangibly assist State public health departments and other local entities to support the development and implementation of evidence-based research, interventions, and treatment.

Mr. Speaker, HHS Secretary Kennedy has been an amazing champion in combating Lyme disease, and he recently announced a whole new series of initiatives. I will point out one very briefly. It is called the Lyme Clinician Locator, made possible through their partnership with the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, or ILADS, enabling patients to easily find a Lyme-literate clinician in their area. Users put in a ZIP Code and get a whole list of people who know what Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are all about, hopefully leading to an effective treatment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our very distinguished chairman, Brett Guthrie, for his extraordinary leadership on this and other issues related to health especially. He is a champion, and he is doing a tremendous job for the entire country. I thank Brett for what he is doing.

I thank his staff and my friends on the other side of the aisle for their work on this bill. This has been a bipartisan effort.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass S. 2398, a 5-year reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act, a law that expires on September 30. It was sponsored by Senator Collins of Maine.

My colleagues will recall that our distinguished colleague from North Carolina, Senator Kay Hagan, suffered a tick bite and died in 2019 from encephalitis caused by the Powassan virus. The current law and reauthorization are named in her honor.

I point out to my colleagues that, in 2019, the Kay Hagan Tick Act was passed as part of the 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The act created, among other things, a whole-of-government national strategy to combat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases with a special focus on surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, education, and prevention.

The national strategy, which was later released in 2024, has identified key public health goals to contain, reduce, and eventually eliminate Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses. It is a strategy that I am heartened to say that Secretary Kennedy has not only adopted, but he has used it as a floor. He has done so much above and beyond the strategy to try to end this terrible, terrible scourge of tick-borne diseases.

The bill before us tonight, like the original law, authorizes $50 million over 5 years for the regional centers of excellence, which coordinate with academia and local public health agencies to conduct research on Lyme in their areas and train public health officials to properly identify and treat Lyme.

Continuing funding will ensure that these centers can continue to conduct groundbreaking research and ultimately generate new prevention strategies and insights on tick-borne diseases.

The legislation also provides $100 million over 5 years to tangibly assist State public health departments and other local entities to support the development and implementation of evidence-based research, interventions, and treatment.

Mr. Speaker, HHS Secretary Kennedy has been an amazing champion in combating Lyme disease, and he recently announced a whole new series of initiatives. I will point out one very briefly. It is called the Lyme Clinician Locator, made possible through their partnership with the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, or ILADS, enabling patients to easily find a Lyme-literate clinician in their area. Users put in a ZIP Code and get a whole list of people who know what Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are all about, hopefully leading to an effective treatment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2398, the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act.

This legislation strengthens the infrastructure and research needed to improve our response to illnesses spread by ticks and other vectors.

Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, have been reported in all 50 States and Washington, D.C., and continue to increase.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost half

a million people are treated for Lyme disease every year. That is more than double compared to two decades ago.

This bill expands research, improves testing, and coordinates vector- borne disease efforts across the Federal Government.

It also reauthorizes funding for Regional Centers of Excellence for surveillance, prevention, and response to vector-borne diseases, and reauthorizes grants to State health departments to support their vector-borne disease infrastructure.

With tick and vector-borne disease increasing in the United States, I encourage all of my colleagues to honor the legacy of Senator Kay Hagan, who died from complications of a virus caused by a tick bite, by voting ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, as I stated previously, I believe that this is an important bill that will expand access and make sure that we are funding important research and developments in our vector-borne disease infrastructure. For those reasons, I will be voting ``yes'' on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2398, the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act.

This legislation strengthens the infrastructure and research needed to improve our response to illnesses spread by ticks and other vectors.

Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, have been reported in all 50 States and Washington, D.C., and continue to increase.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost half

a million people are treated for Lyme disease every year. That is more than double compared to two decades ago.

This bill expands research, improves testing, and coordinates vector- borne disease efforts across the Federal Government.

It also reauthorizes funding for Regional Centers of Excellence for surveillance, prevention, and response to vector-borne diseases, and reauthorizes grants to State health departments to support their vector-borne disease infrastructure.

With tick and vector-borne disease increasing in the United States, I encourage all of my colleagues to honor the legacy of Senator Kay Hagan, who died from complications of a virus caused by a tick bite, by voting ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, as I stated previously, I believe that this is an important bill that will expand access and make sure that we are funding important research and developments in our vector-borne disease infrastructure. For those reasons, I will be voting ``yes'' on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.