SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Becoming nationally reportable in 1990 by 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), Lyme disease reported United States case 
numbers in 1992 were 9,908. From 2005 to 2010, 
the CDC estimated 300,000 people got Lyme disease 
each year, and in 2021, the CDC announced that an 
estimated 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated 
for Lyme disease in the United States annually. 
(2) The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are 
transmitted by a tick which can be as small as a 
poppy seed and is found in backyards, fields, woods, 
and in other places where there is ground cover. 
Ticks that transmit Lyme disease are now found in 
50 percent of United States counties. 
(3) The spirochetal bacteria that causes Lyme 
disease can attack every system in the body and can 
produce arthritic, musculo-skeletal, gastrointestinal, 
neurological, neuropsychiatric and cardiac mani-
festations, the latter which is known to be able to 
cause death. 
(4) Early diagnosis and treatment with anti-
biotics is key to bringing people back to health; how-
ever research has shown that 10 to 15 percent or 
more of those treated by a regimen of antibiotics 
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progress to developing long term symptoms from 
this not well understood disease. 
(5) Most likely due to the time spent outdoors, 
the range of activities, and lack of awareness of the 
dangers posed by ticks and of prevention measures, 
children are at some of the highest risk of infection 
from the Lyme bacteria in the United States, and 
based on CDC source numbers, children aged 0 to 
19 years represented 29 percent of reported cases 
over the period from 2001–2017. 
(6) Since one tick bite can cause more than one 
disease, children with Lyme disease can also have 
other tick-borne diseases or co-infections, increasing 
the severity and range of their symptoms. 
(7) Children with Lyme disease are often out of 
school for blocks of time—days, weeks, months, or 
more—and can come back to school and have symp-
tom relapse causing other periods of absence. 
(8) Research has shown these children can have 
manifestations including cognitive impairment, men-
tal confusion, memory loss, headaches, difficulty 
concentrating, speech difficulty, visual and hearing 
problems, dizziness, mood swings, outbursts, depres-
sion, sleep disturbance, OCD, and seizure activity, 
all of which affect their educational experience. 
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(9) Schools, teachers, administrators, special 
services teams, and medical personnel are often not 
aware of the issues caused by Lyme disease, and the 
children with Lyme disease are being improperly 
classified, may even be labeled as ‘‘fakers,’’ and gen-
erally do not receive the type of help educationally 
that other children who have some of these symp-
toms routinely receive due to their disability. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act— 
(1) to increase the recognition of the broad 
range of disabilities caused by Lyme disease that af-
fect education; and 
(2) to enhance educational services for children 
with Lyme disease in a manner consistent with the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 
U.S.C. 1400 et seq.). 
SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF CHILD WITH A DISABILITY. 
Section 602(3)(A)(i) of the Individuals with Disabil-
ities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(3)(A)(i)) is amended 
by inserting ‘‘(including Lyme disease and other tick- 
borne diseases)’’ after ‘‘other health impairments’’. 
Æ 
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