,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #faj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ab1 #bjac ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,wolf1 ,mr4 ,gibson1 and ,mr4 ,peterson7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the establishment of the ,tick-,borne ,diseases ,advisory ,committee4 #a4 ,establishment of a tick-borne diseases advisory committee 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall establish within the ,office of the ,secretary an advisory committee to be known as the ,tick-,borne ,diseases ,advisory ,committee 7referred to in this section as the ,committee74 7b7 ,duties ,the ,committee shall advise the ,secretary and the ,assistant ,secretary for ,health regarding the manner in which such officials can-- 7#a7 ensure interagency coordination and communication and minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne diseases2 7#b7 identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other ,federal agencies and private organizations addressing such diseases2 7#c7 ensure interagency coordination and communication with constituency groups2 7#d7 ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints is represented in public health policy decisions and that information disseminated to the public and physicians is balanced2 and 7#e7 advise relevant ,federal agencies on priorities related to the ,lyme and tick-borne diseases4 7c7 ,membership 7#a7 ,appointed members 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall appoint the voting members of the ,committee from among individuals who are not officers or employees of the ,federal ,government4 7,b7 ,groups ,the voting members of the ,committee shall include the following3 7i7 ,at least #d members from the scientific community representing the broad spectrum of viewpoints held within the scientific community related to ,lyme and other tick-borne diseases4 7ii7 ,at least #b representatives of tick-borne disease voluntary organizations4 7iii7 ,at least #b health care providers1 including at least #a full-time practicing physician1 with relevant experience providing care for individuals with a broad range of acute and chronic tick-borne diseases4 7iv7 ,at least #b patient representatives who are individuals who have been diagnosed with a tick-borne disease or who have had an immediate family member diagnosed with such a disease4 7v7 ,at least #b representatives of ,state and local health departments and national organizations that represent ,state and local health professionals4 7,c7 ,diversity ,in appointing members under this paragraph1 the ,secretary shall ensure that such members1 as a group1 represent a diversity of scientific perspectives relevant to the duties of the ,committee4 7#b7 ,ex officio members ,the ,secretary shall designate1 as nonvoting1 ex officio members of the ,committee1 representatives overseeing tick-borne disease activities from each of the following ,federal agencies3 7,a7 ,the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention4 7,b7 ,the ,national ,institutes of ,health4 7,c7 ,the ,agency for ,healthcare ,research and ,quality4 7,d7 ,the ,food and ,drug ,administration4 7,e7 ,the ,office of the ,assistant ,secretary for ,health4 7,f7 ,such additional ,federal agencies as the ,secretary determines to be appropriate4 7#c7 ,co-chairpersons ,the ,secretary shall designate the ,assistant ,secretary for ,health as the co-chairperson of the ,committee4 ,the appointed members of the ,committee shall also elect a public co-chairperson4 ,the public co-chairperson shall serve a #b-year term4 7#d7 ,term of appointment ,the term of service for each member of the ,committee appointed under paragraph 7#a7 shall be #d years4 7#e7 ,vacancy ,a vacancy in the membership of the ,committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment4 ,any member appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term shall be appointed for the remainder of that term4 ,members may serve after the expiration of their terms until their successors have taken office4 7d7 ,meetings ,the ,committee shall hold public meetings1 except as otherwise determined by the ,secretary1 after providing notice to the public of such meetings1 and shall meet at least twice a year with additional meetings subject to the call of the co-chairpersons4 ,agenda items with respect to such meetings may be added at the request of the members of the ,committee1 including the co-chairpersons4 ,meetings shall be conducted1 and records of the proceedings shall be maintained1 as required by applicable law and by regulations of the ,secretary4 7e7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,committee1 through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention and the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 shall submit a report to the ,secretary4 ,each such report shall contain1 at a minimum-- 7#a7 a description of the ,committee's functions2 7#b7 a list of the ,committee's members and their affiliations2 and 7#c7 a summary of the ,committee's activities and recommendations during the previous year1 including any significant issues regarding the functioning of the ,committee4 7f7 ,authorization of ,appropriations ,of the amounts made available to the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services for general departmental management for fiscal years #bjac through #bjag1 there is authorized to be appropriated #bej1jjj for each of such fiscal years to carry out this ,act4 ,amounts made available to carry out this ,act shall be used for the expenses and per diem costs incurred by the ,committee under this section in accordance with the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act1 except that no voting member of the ,committee shall be a permanent salaried employee4