Asking Congress to Stamp Out Lyme Without Using Federal Dollars

Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY) introduced the Stamp Out Lyme Disease Act with Original Co-sponsors Christopher Smith (NJ), Collin Peterson (MN), and Lee Zeldin (NY), a bipartisan effort to raise funds for Lyme disease research.

The bill provides an easy way for the public to contribute to research for Lyme disease and related tick-borne diseases within the National Institutes of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH. Monies raised by stamp sales will not affect the level of appropriations or other funding that NIAID would be able to receive in any given year.

The US Postal Service will issue a “semipostal stamp” for a period of 6 years. It falls under Title 39, section 416(a)(1) United States Code, which addresses other stamps for other conditions that have been issued.

The bill has upgraded findings including some from the HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group 2018 report to Congress, but the text is essentially the same as the 2017 bill which LDA worked on with then-Congressman Faso (NY).

The LDA urges all of Congress to support this bill which would provide much-needed monies for research to help unlock the secrets of Lyme disease.

Said LDA President Pat Smith “The Stamp Out Lyme Disease Act introduced by Congressman Delgado enables Congress to provide an opportunity for much-needed funds to be raised for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases research without adding to the federal government’s financial burden. It enables individuals who want to support Lyme research–so that patients can get proper diagnosis and treatment–to do so without a strain on their budgets and without an unnecessary expenditure of time. Buy a Lyme stamp, help save a life! It’s a win-win situation.”

Click Here to View the Stamp Out Lyme Disease Act