KAY HAGAN TICK REAUTHORIZATION ACT

On 2026-09-15, Representative Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-7) delivered a floor speech titled "KAY HAGAN TICK REAUTHORIZATION ACT" in the House.

KAY HAGAN TICK REAUTHORIZATION ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5670-H5671] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] KAY HAGAN TICK REAUTHORIZATION ACT Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2398) to reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: S. 2398 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act''. SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAMS. (a) National Strategy and Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases.--Section 317U of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-23) is amended-- (1) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group established under section 2062 of the 21st Century Cures Act (42 U.S.C. 284s) and other individuals, as appropriate'' and inserting ``appropriate individuals''; (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``in coordination with'' and inserting ``acting through''; and (3) in subsection (f), by striking ``2021 through 2025'' and inserting ``2026 through 2030''. (b) Enhanced Support to Assist Health Departments in Addressing Vector-borne Diseases.--Section 2822(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-32(c)) is amended by striking ``2021 through 2025'' and inserting ``2026 through 2030''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie). General Leave Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to include extraneous material on S. 2398. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Kentucky? There was no objection. Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 2398, the Senate companion to bipartisan legislation recently advanced by the Committee on Energy and Commerce led by Senator Collins and Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey. Vectors such as mosquitos, ticks, and fleas can carry life- threatening diseases, and anyone can contract a vector-borne disease with potentially debilitating consequences. This bill reauthorizes the National Strategy and Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, as well as the CDC's cooperative agreements with health departments in high-risk areas for vector-borne diseases. Preventing these diseases and responding to vector-borne threats is a bipartisan issue that I hope we can all support. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mrs. FLETCHER. 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 [[Page H5671]] 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. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), a tireless worker on this issue and my good friend. {time} 1910 Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. 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. Mrs. FLETCHER. 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. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Smith of New Jersey has worked tirelessly on this. It is important. Vector-borne tick diseases and these others have just spread in the last few years. Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Van Epps). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 2398. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________

Referenced legislation: S2398, S2398