This section contains activity which Members of Congress or Congressional Committees or Caucuses are undertaking relative to tick-borne diseases.
Rep. Chris Smith Rep. Collin Peterson ISSUE At this time the Lyme Disease Association, Inc. is asking you to contact your Congress Member to ask him/her to sign on to 2 important letters from the US House Lyme Disease Caucus. These bipartisan letters provide details that the Lyme Caucus is asking the 2 Appropriations Committees […]
The White House released the Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal which includes a $14 million increase compared to the 2020 enacted level that focuses on tick-borne diseases. Excerpts from Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2021: “Prioritizes Critical Health Research and Supports Innovation” … “NIH would continue to address the opioid epidemic and […]
The 116th Congress House Committee on Appropriations submitted a report in explanation of bill H.R. 2740, the Omnibus that funds Health and Human Services (HHS) including the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and outlines the final legislative language and designation of funds for vector-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, […]
On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed the Kay Hagan Tick Act into law as part of an end-of-year spending package that had passed both Houses. The bill had been introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in the House and by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) in the Senate. The bill language was changed in […]
The Senate Tick Act (Collins, ME) was passed out of the Senate HELP Committee; however, it was a different bill than the one that was originally submitted to the Senate Committee that many Lyme groups supported. The HELP committee replaced it in its entirety with a Manager’s Amendment, submitted “in the nature of a substitute,” which still keeps the same bill number, S-1657, and it was renamed the Kay Hagan Tick Act. For more information and action to take…
If you DO NOT see your congressperson’s name on list below, or for more info, Return to Tick Act Article & Steps to Take
Explanation of Tick Act Changes From the Lyme Disease Association & How To Help On October 31, the Senate Tick Act (Collins ME) was passed out of the Senate HELP Committee; however, it was a different bill than the one submitted to the Senate Committee that many Lyme groups supported. The HELP committee replaced it […]
TO: Lyme Disease Advocates & Patients FROM: Lyme Disease Association, Inc. Pat Smith, President, 8-15-19 RE: Urgent & Immediate Help Needed to Investigate Information Which Could Lead to Helping to Solve Tick-Borne Diseases Problem ISSUE: The debate over the prevalence of Lyme disease and whether it exists in a chronic form has raged for decades. […]
Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ-04) has been pushing for funding and recognition of Lyme and tick-borne diseases over the past 27 years. On July 9, 2019, Mr. Smith testified before the Committee on Rules and introduced two amendments relating to Lyme and tick-borne diseases to the Defense Authorization Bill (National Defense Appropriations Act). ONE PASSED RULES […]
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), along with Tina Smith (D-MN), a member of the Senate Health Committee, and Senator Angus King (I-ME) an original cosponsor, introduced a bipartisan effort to improve research, prevention, diagnostics, and treatment for tick-borne diseases. Representative Christopher Smith (R-NJ), with lead co-sponsor Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) introduced a bipartisan companion bill, the […]