,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cjgc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #c1 #bjai,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for himself and ,mr4 ,peterson7 introduced the following bill2 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 disorders4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,ticks3 ,identify1 ,control1 and ,knockout ,act or the ,,tick ,act4 #b4 ,office of ,oversight and ,coordination for ,vector-,borne ,disease 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall establish in the ,office of the ,secretary an ,office of ,oversight and ,coordination for ,vector-,borne ,diseases 7referred to in this ,act as the ,office71 to be headed by a director to be appointed by the ,secretary4 7b7 ,duties of the ,office 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,office shall-- 7,a7 oversee the creation and maintenance of a national strategy to address ,lyme disease1 and other tick and vector-borne diseases as provided for in paragraph 7#b72 and 7,b7 oversee and coordinate ,lyme disease and other tick and vector-borne disease and disorder programs and activities across the agencies and offices of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services and other ,federal agencies outside of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 as appropriate4 7#b7 ,national strategy 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,office 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 disorders1 including an assessment of all ,federally funded programs and activities related to surveillance1 diagnosis1 treatment1 education1 or prevention1 as well as implementation steps1 and recommendations for priority actions1 with appropriate benchmarks to measure progress1 based on the assessment4 7,b7 ,non-,federal perspectives ,in developing the strategy under subparagraph 7,a71 and maintaining it1 the ,director shall consult with non-,federal individuals with appropriate expertise1 which may include-- 7i7 epidemiologists with experience in surveillance1 treatment1 education1 or prevention of vector-borne diseases2 7ii7 representatives of national patient advocacy and research organizations that focus on vector-borne diseases1 and those that focus specifically on tick-borne disease and have demonstrated experience in research1 data collection1 or patient access to care2 7iii7 health information technology experts or other information management specialists2 7iv7 clinicians1 entomologists1 vector-management professionals1 integrated pest management professionals1 public health professionals1 and others with expertise in vector-borne disease1 including ,lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases or disorders2 and 7v7 research scientists with experience conducting translational research or utilizing surveillance systems for scientific research purposes4 7c7 ,objective of the ,office ,in carrying out subsection 7b71 the ,director of the ,office shall facilitate and work to ensure the accomplishment of the following activities3 7#a7 ,expansion and enhancement of epidemiological research and basic1 translational1 and clinical biological and biomedical research4 7#b7 ,expansion and improvement of tick surveillance1 linking tick surveillance to surveillance of ,lyme disease1 and reporting of ,lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases1 including coinfections with agents of more than one tick or vector-borne diseases4 7#c7 ,development of effective diagnostic tests to accurately and timely diagnose ,lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases1 including direct detention tests4 7#d7 ,development of treatments to cure or improve 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 7such as tick ,,pim programs74 7#e7 ,address the quality of patient care1 treatment affordability1 and public awareness of ,lyme disease and other tick or vector-borne diseases4 7#f7 ,design and conduct clinical trials of sufficient size and duration to support clinical recommendations4 7#g7 ,systematic documentation of the experiences of health care professionals in diagnosing and treating tick- and vector-borne disease1 including diagnostic and treatment outcomes4 7#h7 ,development and maintenance of one or more registries of patients and their experiences relating to exposure to1 diagnosis for1 and treatment of tick- and vector-borne disease1 including outcomes1 such that the confidentiality and safety of patient data is protected4 7#i7 ,access to data and enable emerging technologies to improve patient care1 sharing data with researchers and care providers4 7#aj7 ,coordination with other ,federal departments to address tick- and other vector-borne diseases including the ,department of ,defense1 the ,department of ,agriculture1 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 the ,department of ,interior1 and the ,department of ,homeland ,security4 7#aa7 ,coordination with the ,tick-,borne ,disease ,working ,group established under section #bjfb of the #bast ,century ,cures ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bhds7 to develop and implement recommendations4 7#ab7 ,coordination with international bodies to integrate and inform the fight against ,lyme disease1 and other tick- and vector-borne diseases globally4 #c4 ,regional ,centers of ,excellence in ,tick and ,vector-,borne ,diseases 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention and the heads of other agencies as appropriate1 shall award grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements to eligible entities 7such as institutions of higher education1 ,state1 tribal1 and local health departments1 associations1 or other appropriate entities7 for the establishment or support of ,regional ,centers of ,excellence in ,tick and ,vector-,borne ,diseases4 ,such ,regional ,centers shall be designed to address ,lyme disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases by-- 7#a7 building collaboration between academia and public health agencies for surveillance1 prevention and response to ,lyme disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases2 7#b7 providing training for public health entomologists to deal with ,lyme disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases2 and 7#c7 conducting applied research to develop and validate prevention and control tools and methods1 and to anticipate and respond to outbreaks of ,lyme disease and other tick and vector-borne diseases4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant1 contract1 or cooperative agreement under this section1 an entity shall prepare and submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such agreements and information as the ,secretary may require1 including a description of how the entity will-- 7#a7 coordinate1 as applicable1 with existing ,federal1 ,state1 and tribal programs related to ,lyme disease and other vector-borne diseases2 7#b7 examine1 evaluate1 and promote evidence-based interventions for individuals with ,lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases1 including those in rural and underserved populations1 and those who provide care for such individuals2 and 7#c7 prioritize activities relating to-- 7,a7 expanding efforts1 as appropriate1 to implement evidence-based practices to address ,lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases1 including through the training of ,state1 local1 and tribal public health officials and other health professionals on such practices2 7,b7 supporting surveillance of vectors1 and early detection and diagnosis of ,lyme and other tick- and vector-borne diseases1 including improving the quality and reliability of diagnostic tools at all stages of disease progression1 and developing a ,lyme disease test capable of distinguishing between past and active infections2 7,c7 improving the safety and efficacy of any new1 renewed1 or modified human vaccine for ,lyme disease1 other tick- and vector-borne diseases1 or a combination of such diseases2 7,d7 developing a standardized screening protocol for ,lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases2 7,e7 enhancing studies and activities on tick biology1 disease ecology1 and surveillance1 and tick management2 and 7,f7 supporting other relevant activities identified by the ,secretary or the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 as appropriate4 7c7 ,considerations ,in awarding grants1 contracts1 and cooperative agreements under this section1 the ,secretary shall consider1 among other factors1 whether the entity-- 7#a7 provides services to rural areas or other underserved populations2 7#b7 is able to build on an existing infrastructure of services and public health research2 7#c7 is located in an area with a high prevalence1 or in any area predicted to have a high prevalence1 of ,lyme disease or other tick- and vector-borne diseases2 and 7#d7 has experience with conducting research related to ,lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases4 7d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,for the purpose of carrying out this section1 there are authorized to be appropriated #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years from #bjba through #bjbf4 ,amounts appropriated shall be allocated under this section to diseases in a manner that proportionately matches the disease burden of those diseases in the ,united ,states1 which shall be reassessed and adjusted annually4 #d4 ,cooperative agreements with the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention and the heads of other agencies1 as appropriate1 shall enter into cooperative agreements between the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention and health departments of ,states1 political subdivisions of ,states1 and ,indian tribes and tribal organizations1 to address ,lyme ,disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases1 and to support the development and implementation of evidence-based research1 interventions1 and treatment with respect to-- 7#a7 educating and informing the public1 based on evidence-based public health research and data1 about ,lyme ,disease and other vector-borne diseases2 7#b7 supporting early detection and diagnosis2 7#c7 supporting prevention2 7#d7 improving treatment2 7#e7 supporting care planning and management for individuals with ,lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases2 and 7#f7 supporting other relevant activities identified by the ,secretary or the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 as appropriate4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to enter into a cooperative agreement under this section1 an entity described in subsection 7a7 shall prepare and submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including a plan that describes-- 7#a7 how the applicant proposes to develop or expand programs to educate individuals through partnership engagement1 workforce development1 guidance and support for programmatic efforts1 and evaluation with respect to ,lyme disease and other tick- or vector-borne diseases1 and how the applicant proposes to support other relevant activities identified by the ,secretary or the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 as appropriate2 7#b7 the manner in which the applicant will coordinate with ,federal1 tribal1 and ,state programs related to ,lyme ,disease and other vector-borne diseases1 and appropriate ,state1 tribal1 and local agencies1 as well as other relevant public and private organizations or agencies2 and 7#c7 the manner in which the applicant will evaluate the effectiveness of any program carried out under the cooperative agreement4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations -,for the purpose of carrying out this section1 there are authorized to be appropriated #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbf4 ,amounts appropriated shall be allocated under this section to diseases in a manner that proportionately matches the disease burden of those diseases in the ,united ,states1 which shall be reassessed and adjusted annually4