I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3073 
To provide assistance to combat the escalating burden of Lyme disease and 
other tick and vector-borne diseases and disorders. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 3, 2019 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. PETERSON) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
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-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ticks: Identify, Con-
trol, and Knockout Act’’ or the ‘‘TICK Act’’. 
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF OVERSIGHT AND COORDINATION FOR 
VECTOR-BORNE DISEASE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall establish in the Office of the Secretary an 
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Office of Oversight and Coordination for Vector-Borne 
Diseases (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Office’’), to be 
headed by a director to be appointed by the Secretary. 
(b) DUTIES OF THE OFFICE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office 
shall— 
(A) oversee the creation and maintenance 
of a national strategy to address Lyme disease, 
and other tick and vector-borne diseases as pro-
vided for in paragraph (2); and 
(B) oversee and coordinate Lyme disease 
and other tick and vector-borne disease and dis-
order programs and activities across the agen-
cies and offices of the Department of Health 
and Human Services and other Federal agen-
cies outside of the Department of Health and 
Human Services, as appropriate. 
(2) NATIONAL STRATEGY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Of-
fice shall provide for the conduct of an annual 
assessment of the progress of the United States 
in preparing for the escalating burden of Lyme 
disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases 
and disorders, including an assessment of all 
Federally funded programs and activities re-
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lated to surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, edu-
cation, or prevention, as well as implementation 
steps, and recommendations for priority actions, 
with 
appropriate 
benchmarks 
to 
measure 
progress, based on the assessment. 
(B) NON-FEDERAL PERSPECTIVES.—In de-
veloping the strategy under subparagraph (A), 
and maintaining it, the Director shall consult 
with non-Federal individuals with appropriate 
expertise, which may include— 
(i) epidemiologists with experience in 
surveillance, treatment, education, or pre-
vention of vector-borne diseases; 
(ii) representatives of national patient 
advocacy and research organizations that 
focus on vector-borne diseases, and those 
that focus specifically on tick-borne disease 
and have demonstrated experience in re-
search, data collection, or patient access to 
care; 
(iii) health information technology ex-
perts or other information management 
specialists; 
(iv) clinicians, entomologists, vector- 
management professionals, integrated pest 
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management professionals, public health 
professionals, and others with expertise in 
vector-borne disease, including Lyme dis-
ease or other tick-borne diseases or dis-
orders; and 
(v) research scientists with experience 
conducting translational research or uti-
lizing surveillance systems for scientific re-
search purposes. 
(c) OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE.—In carrying out 
subsection (b), the Director of the Office shall facilitate 
and work to ensure the accomplishment of the following 
activities: 
(1) Expansion and enhancement of epidemiolog-
ical research and basic, translational, and clinical bi-
ological and biomedical research. 
(2) Expansion and improvement of tick surveil-
lance, linking tick surveillance to surveillance of 
Lyme disease, and reporting of Lyme disease and 
other tick- and vector-borne diseases, including co-
infections with agents of more than one tick or vec-
tor-borne diseases. 
(3) Development of effective diagnostic tests to 
accurately and timely diagnose Lyme disease and 
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other tick- and vector-borne diseases, including di-
rect detention tests. 
(4) Development of treatments to cure or im-
prove the lives of those who are infected with Lyme 
disease or other tick-and vector-borne diseases or 
who suffer from a tick-induced disorder (such as tick 
PIM programs). 
(5) Address the quality of patient care, treat-
ment affordability, and public awareness of Lyme 
disease and other tick or vector-borne diseases. 
(6) Design and conduct clinical trials of suffi-
cient size and duration to support clinical rec-
ommendations. 
(7) Systematic documentation of the experi-
ences of health care professionals in diagnosing and 
treating tick- and vector-borne disease, including di-
agnostic and treatment outcomes. 
(8) Development and maintenance of one or 
more registries of patients and their experiences re-
lating to exposure to, diagnosis for, and treatment 
of tick- and vector-borne disease, including out-
comes, such that the confidentiality and safety of 
patient data is protected. 
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(9) Access to data and enable emerging tech-
nologies to improve patient care, sharing data with 
researchers and care providers. 
(10) Coordination with other Federal depart-
ments to address tick- and other vector-borne dis-
eases including the Department of Defense, the De-
partment of Agriculture, the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, the Department of Interior, and the 
Department of Homeland Security. 
(11) Coordination with the Tick-Borne Disease 
Working Group established under section 2062 of 
the 21st Century Cures Act (42 U.S.C. 284s) to de-
velop and implement recommendations. 
(12) Coordination with international bodies to 
integrate and inform the fight against Lyme disease, 
and other tick- and vector-borne diseases globally. 
SEC. 3. REGIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN TICK AND 
VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 
with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention and the heads of other agencies as appropriate, 
shall award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 
to eligible entities (such as institutions of higher edu-
cation, State, tribal, and local health departments, asso-
ciations, or other appropriate entities) for the establish-
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ment or support of Regional Centers of Excellence in Tick 
and Vector-Borne Diseases. Such Regional Centers shall 
be designed to address Lyme disease and other tick and 
vector-borne diseases by— 
(1) building collaboration between academia 
and public health agencies for surveillance, preven-
tion and response to Lyme disease and other tick 
and vector-borne diseases; 
(2) providing training for public health ento-
mologists to deal with Lyme disease and other tick 
and vector-borne diseases; and 
(3) conducting applied research to develop and 
validate prevention and control tools and methods, 
and to anticipate and respond to outbreaks of Lyme 
disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant, 
contract, or cooperative agreement under this section, an 
entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an appli-
cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
agreements and information as the Secretary may require, 
including a description of how the entity will— 
(1) coordinate, as applicable, with existing Fed-
eral, State, and tribal programs related to Lyme dis-
ease and other vector-borne diseases; 
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(2) examine, evaluate, and promote evidence- 
based interventions for individuals with Lyme dis-
ease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases, in-
cluding those in rural and underserved populations, 
and those who provide care for such individuals; and 
(3) prioritize activities relating to— 
(A) expanding efforts, as appropriate, to 
implement evidence-based practices to address 
Lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne 
diseases, including through the training of 
State, local, and tribal public health officials 
and other health professionals on such prac-
tices; 
(B) supporting surveillance of vectors, and 
early detection and diagnosis of Lyme and 
other tick- and vector-borne diseases, including 
improving the quality and reliability of diag-
nostic tools at all stages of disease progression, 
and developing a Lyme disease test capable of 
distinguishing between past and active infec-
tions; 
(C) improving the safety and efficacy of 
any new, renewed, or modified human vaccine 
for Lyme disease, other tick- and vector-borne 
diseases, or a combination of such diseases; 
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(D) developing a standardized screening 
protocol for Lyme disease and other tick- and 
vector-borne diseases; 
(E) enhancing studies and activities on 
tick biology, disease ecology, and surveillance, 
and tick management; and 
(F) supporting other relevant activities 
identified by the Secretary or the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
as appropriate. 
(c) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants, con-
tracts, and cooperative agreements under this section, the 
Secretary shall consider, among other factors, whether the 
entity— 
(1) provides services to rural areas or other un-
derserved populations; 
(2) is able to build on an existing infrastructure 
of services and public health research; 
(3) is located in an area with a high prevalence, 
or in any area predicted to have a high prevalence, 
of Lyme disease or other tick- and vector-borne dis-
eases; and 
(4) has experience with conducting research re-
lated to Lyme disease and other tick- and vector- 
borne diseases. 
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(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 
purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 
to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
from 2021 through 2026. Amounts appropriated shall be 
allocated under this section to diseases in a manner that 
proportionately matches the disease burden of those dis-
eases in the United States, which shall be reassessed and 
adjusted annually. 
SEC. 4. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH THE CENTERS 
FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 
with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention and the heads of other agencies, as appro-
priate, shall enter into cooperative agreements between the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health de-
partments of States, political subdivisions of States, and 
Indian tribes and tribal organizations, to address Lyme 
Disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases, and to 
support the development and implementation of evidence- 
based research, interventions, and treatment with respect 
to— 
(1) educating and informing the public, based 
on evidence-based public health research and data, 
about Lyme Disease and other vector-borne diseases; 
(2) supporting early detection and diagnosis; 
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(3) supporting prevention; 
(4) improving treatment; 
(5) supporting care planning and management 
for individuals with Lyme disease and other tick- 
and vector-borne diseases; and 
(6) supporting other relevant activities identi-
fied by the Secretary or the Director of the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, as appropriate. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to enter into a coop-
erative agreement under this section, an entity described 
in subsection (a) shall prepare and submit to the Secretary 
an application at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may require, in-
cluding a plan that describes— 
(1) how the applicant proposes to develop or ex-
pand programs to educate individuals through part-
nership engagement, workforce development, guid-
ance and support for programmatic efforts, and 
evaluation with respect to Lyme disease and other 
tick- or vector-borne diseases, and how the applicant 
proposes to support other relevant activities identi-
fied by the Secretary or the Director of the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, as appropriate; 
(2) the manner in which the applicant will co-
ordinate with Federal, tribal, and State programs 
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related to Lyme Disease and other vector-borne dis-
eases, and appropriate State, tribal, and local agen-
cies, as well as other relevant public and private or-
ganizations or agencies; and 
(3) the manner in which the applicant will 
evaluate the effectiveness of any program carried out 
under the cooperative agreement. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—-For the 
purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 
to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2021 through 2026. Amounts appropriated shall be allo-
cated under this section to diseases in a manner that pro-
portionately matches the disease burden of those diseases 
in the United States, which shall be reassessed and ad-
justed annually. 
Æ 
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