Kay Hagan Tick Act

II Calendar No. 287 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1657 To provide assistance to combat the escalating burden of Lyme disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases and disorders. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 23 (legislative day, MAY 22), 2019 Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Ms. SMITH, Mr. KING, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. BOOZMAN, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. BRAUN, and Mr. SANDERS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions NOVEMBER 5, 2019 Reported by Mr. ALEXANDER, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] A BILL To provide assistance to combat the escalating burden of Lyme disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases and disorders. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ticks: Identify, Con- 4 trol, and Knockout Act’’ or the ‘‘TICK Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 1657 RS SEC. 2. OFFICE OF OVERSIGHT AND COORDINATION FOR 1 VECTOR-BORNE DISEASE. 2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 3 Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec- 4 retary’’) shall establish in the Office of the Secretary an 5 Office of Oversight and Coordination for Vector-Borne 6 Diseases (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Office’’), to be 7 headed by a director to be appointed by the Secretary. 8 (b) DUTIES OF THE OFFICE.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office 10 shall— 11 (A) oversee the creation and maintenance 12 of a national strategy to address Lyme disease, 13 and other tick and vector-borne diseases as pro- 14 vided for in paragraph (2); and 15 (B) oversee and coordinate Lyme disease 16 and other tick and vector-borne disease and dis- 17 order programs and activities across the agen- 18 cies and offices of the Department of Health 19 and Human Services and other Federal agen- 20 cies outside of the Department of Health and 21 Human Services, as appropriate. 22 (2) NATIONAL STRATEGY.— 23 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Of- 24 fice shall provide for the conduct of an annual 25 assessment of the progress of the United States 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 1657 RS in preparing for the escalating burden of Lyme 1 disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases 2 and disorders, including an assessment of all 3 Federally funded programs and activities re- 4 lated to surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, edu- 5 cation, or prevention, as well as implementation 6 steps, and recommendations for priority actions, 7 with appropriate benchmarks to measure 8 progress, based on the assessment. 9 (B) NON-FEDERAL PERSPECTIVES.—In de- 10 veloping the strategy under subparagraph (A), 11 and maintaining it, the Director shall consult 12 with non-Federal individuals with appropriate 13 expertise, which may include— 14 (i) epidemiologists with experience in 15 surveillance, treatment, education, or pre- 16 vention of vector-borne diseases; 17 (ii) representatives of national patient 18 advocacy and research organizations that 19 focus on vector-borne diseases, and those 20 that focus specifically on tick-borne disease 21 and have demonstrated experience in re- 22 search, data collection, or patient access to 23 care; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 1657 RS (iii) health information technology ex- 1 perts or other information management 2 specialists; 3 (iv) clinicians, entomologists, vector- 4 management professionals, integrated pest 5 management professionals, public health 6 professionals, and others with expertise in 7 vector-borne disease, including Lyme dis- 8 ease or other tick-borne diseases or dis- 9 orders; and 10 (v) research scientists with experience 11 conducting translational research or uti- 12 lizing surveillance systems for scientific re- 13 search purposes. 14 (c) OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE.—In carrying out 15 subsection (b), the Director of the Office shall facilitate 16 and work to ensure the accomplishment of the following 17 activities: 18 (1) Expansion and enhancement of epidemiolog- 19 ical research and basic, translational, and clinical bi- 20 ological and biomedical research. 21 (2) Expansion and improvement of tick surveil- 22 lance, linking tick surveillance to surveillance of 23 Lyme disease, and reporting of Lyme disease and 24 other tick- and vector-borne diseases, including co- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 1657 RS infections with agents of more than one tick or vec- 1 tor-borne diseases. 2 (3) Development of effective diagnostic tests to 3 accurately and timely diagnose Lyme disease and 4 other tick- and vector-borne diseases, including di- 5 rect detention tests. 6 (4) Development of treatments to cure or im- 7 prove the lives of those who are infected with Lyme 8 disease or other tick-and vector-borne diseases or 9 who suffer from a tick-induced disorder (such as tick 10 PIM programs). 11 (5) Address the quality of patient care, treat- 12 ment affordability, and public awareness of Lyme 13 disease and other tick or vector-borne diseases. 14 (6) Design and conduct clinical trials of suffi- 15 cient size and duration to support clinical rec- 16 ommendations. 17 (7) Systematic documentation of the experi- 18 ences of health care professionals in diagnosing and 19 treating tick- and vector-borne disease, including di- 20 agnostic and treatment outcomes. 21 (8) Development and maintenance of one or 22 more registries of patients and their experiences re- 23 lating to exposure to, diagnosis for, and treatment 24 of tick- and vector-borne disease, including out- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 1657 RS comes, such that the confidentiality and safety of 1 patient data is protected. 2 (9) Access to data and enable emerging tech- 3 nologies to improve patient care, sharing data with 4 researchers and care providers. 5 (10) Coordination with other Federal depart- 6 ments to address tick- and other vector-borne dis- 7 eases including the Department of Defense, the De- 8 partment of Agriculture, the Environmental Protec- 9 tion Agency, the Department of Interior, and the 10 Department of Homeland Security. 11 (11) Coordination with the Tick-Borne Disease 12 Working Group established under section 2062 of 13 the 21st Century Cures Act (42 U.S.C. 284s) to de- 14 velop and implement recommendations. 15 (12) Coordination with international bodies to 16 integrate and inform the fight against Lyme disease, 17 and other tick- and vector-borne diseases globally. 18 SEC. 3. REGIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN TICK AND 19 VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES. 20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 21 with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 22 Prevention and the heads of other agencies as appropriate, 23 shall award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 24 to eligible entities (such as institutions of higher edu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •S 1657 RS cation, State, tribal, and local health departments, asso- 1 ciations, or other appropriate entities) for the establish- 2 ment or support of Regional Centers of Excellence in Tick 3 and Vector-Borne Diseases. Such Regional Centers shall 4 be designed to address Lyme disease and other tick and 5 vector-borne diseases by— 6 (1) building collaboration between academia 7 and public health agencies for surveillance, preven- 8 tion and response to Lyme disease and other tick 9 and vector-borne diseases; 10 (2) providing training for public health ento- 11 mologists to deal with Lyme disease and other tick 12 and vector-borne diseases; and 13 (3) conducting applied research to develop and 14 validate prevention and control tools and methods, 15 and to anticipate and respond to outbreaks of Lyme 16 disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases. 17 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant, 18 contract, or cooperative agreement under this section, an 19 entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an appli- 20 cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 21 agreements and information as the Secretary may require, 22 including a description of how the entity will— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •S 1657 RS (1) coordinate, as applicable, with existing Fed- 1 eral, State, and tribal programs related to Lyme dis- 2 ease and other vector-borne diseases; 3 (2) examine, evaluate, and promote evidence- 4 based interventions for individuals with Lyme dis- 5 ease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases, in- 6 cluding those in rural and underserved populations, 7 and those who provide care for such individuals; and 8 (3) prioritize activities relating to— 9 (A) expanding efforts, as appropriate, to 10 implement evidence-based practices to address 11 Lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne 12 diseases, including through the training of 13 State, local, and tribal public health officials 14 and other health professionals on such prac- 15 tices; 16 (B) supporting surveillance of vectors, and 17 early detection and diagnosis of Lyme and 18 other tick- and vector-borne diseases, including 19 improving the quality and reliability of diag- 20 nostic tools at all stages of disease progression, 21 and developing a Lyme disease test capable of 22 distinguishing between past and active infec- 23 tions; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •S 1657 RS (C) improving the safety and efficacy of 1 any new, renewed, or modified human vaccine 2 for Lyme disease, other tick- and vector-borne 3 diseases, or a combination of such diseases; 4 (D) developing a standardized screening 5 protocol for Lyme disease and other tick- and 6 vector-borne diseases; 7 (E) enhancing studies and activities on 8 tick biology, disease ecology, and surveillance, 9 and tick management; and 10 (F) supporting other relevant activities 11 identified by the Secretary or the Director of 12 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 as appropriate. 14 (c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants, con- 15 tracts, and cooperative agreements under this section, the 16 Secretary shall consider, among other factors, whether the 17 entity— 18 (1) provides services to rural areas or other un- 19 derserved populations; 20 (2) is able to build on an existing infrastructure 21 of services and public health research; 22 (3) is located in an area with a high prevalence, 23 or in any area predicted to have a high prevalence, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •S 1657 RS of Lyme disease or other tick- and vector-borne dis- 1 eases; and 2 (4) has experience with conducting research re- 3 lated to Lyme disease and other tick- and vector- 4 borne diseases. 5 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 6 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 7 to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 8 from 2021 through 2026. Amounts appropriated shall be 9 allocated under this section to diseases in a manner that 10 proportionately matches the disease burden of those dis- 11 eases in the United States, which shall be reassessed and 12 adjusted annually. 13 SEC. 4. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH THE CENTERS 14 FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 16 with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 17 Prevention and the heads of other agencies, as appro- 18 priate, shall enter into cooperative agreements between the 19 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health de- 20 partments of States, political subdivisions of States, and 21 Indian tribes and tribal organizations, to address Lyme 22 Disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases, and to 23 support the development and implementation of evidence- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •S 1657 RS based research, interventions, and treatment with respect 1 to— 2 (1) educating and informing the public, based 3 on evidence-based public health research and data, 4 about Lyme Disease and other vector-borne diseases; 5 (2) supporting early detection and diagnosis; 6 (3) supporting prevention; 7 (4) improving treatment; 8 (5) supporting care planning and management 9 for individuals with Lyme disease and other tick- 10 and vector-borne diseases; and 11 (6) supporting other relevant activities identi- 12 fied by the Secretary or the Director of the Centers 13 for Disease Control and Prevention, as appropriate. 14 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to enter into a coop- 15 erative agreement under this section, an entity described 16 in subsection (a) shall prepare and submit to the Secretary 17 an application at such time, in such manner, and con- 18 taining such information as the Secretary may require, in- 19 cluding a plan that describes— 20 (1) how the applicant proposes to develop or ex- 21 pand programs to educate individuals through part- 22 nership engagement, workforce development, guid- 23 ance and support for programmatic efforts, and 24 evaluation with respect to Lyme disease and other 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:41 Nov 05, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1657.RS S1657 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •S 1657 RS tick- or vector-borne diseases, and how the applicant 1 proposes to support other relevant activities identi- 2 fied by the Secretary or the Director of the Centers 3 for Disease Control and Prevention, as appropriate; 4 (2) the manner in which the applicant will co- 5 ordinate with Federal, tribal, and State programs 6 related to Lyme Disease and other vector-borne dis- 7 eases, and appropriate State, tribal, and loc [Text truncated for display. 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