House Unanimously Passes Senator Collins’ Bill to Combat Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases

Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the House of Representatives unanimously passed the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act. Senator Collins introduced the bill with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), with Senator Angus King (I-ME) joining them as an original cosponsor. The bill, which passed the Senate unanimously last month, now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

Cases of Lyme disease have reached a new record level in Maine every year since 2022, with more than 4,200 cases reported statewide last year.

The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act aims to confront this growing public health threat by reauthorizing federal initiatives and programs to combat tick-borne diseases first established through the original Kay Hagan Tick Act, which Senators Collins and Smith led to passage in 2019. The Senators named their bill in honor of the late Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC), who passed away in October of 2019 due to complications from the tick-borne disease known as the Powassan virus.

"With Maine continuing to experience record levels of Lyme disease, we must continue working to address the growing threat posed by tick-borne diseases," said Senator Collins. "The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act will build on the progress we have made in combatting these diseases since the original law was enacted and ensure this important work can continue across the country. I am grateful to Senator Smith for her partnership in this effort and to our colleagues in both chambers for working with us to move this important legislation across the finish line, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law."

Using a three-pronged approach, the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act would:

• Reauthorize Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases through Fiscal Year 2030. These Centers have led the scientific response against tick-borne diseases, which now make up approximately 75 percent of vector-borne diseases in the U.S. There are four centers: at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of California-Davis, the University of Florida, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The authorization for the program under the Kay Hagan Tick Act expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2025.

• Reauthorize CDC Grants to State Health Departments. These grants help departments improve data collection and analysis, support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment, and raise awareness of vector-borne diseases. Reauthorizing these awards would help states continue building and maintaining a public health infrastructure for Lyme and other vector-borne diseases and amplify their initiatives through public-private partnerships. Since 2019, this funding has helped increase the number of health departments reporting tick-surveillance data from 6 to 44.

• Require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue implementing and updating, as appropriate, its National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People. This strategy has been integral in expanding research into tick-borne diseases, improving testing and diagnostics, and coordinating efforts across the federal government.

Since the original Kay Hagan Tick Act was signed into law in 2019, resources provided through the law have supported efforts to combat tick-borne diseases in Maine, including research at the MaineHealth Institute for Research connected to a clinical trial for a Lyme disease vaccine. The law has also provided funding for Maine CDC's efforts to track and respond to vector-borne diseases.

Senator Collins has also secured more than $6 million through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee for the University of Maine Tick Lab, which conducts tick surveillance and research and allows Mainers to submit ticks for pathogen testing.

The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act has been endorsed by the University of Maine Tick Lab, the Center for Lyme Action, and the Entomological Society of America.

"The growing burden of ticks and tick-borne diseases requires attention at the federal, state, and local levels. Reauthorization of the Kay Hagan TICK Act helps maintain a national strategy for addressing these diseases and supporting the science, coordination, and public health capacity needed to respond effectively. We appreciate Senator Collins' efforts to keep this issue before Congress and to recognize its importance to Maine and other heavily affected states," said Griffin Dill, Director of the University of Maine Tick Lab.

"The reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act is a landmark victory for the millions of Americans impacted by tick-borne diseases and a testament to what is possible when policymakers, patients, families, and advocates come together to address a growing public health crisis. We are deeply grateful to the bipartisan leaders in the House and Senate who championed this legislation and helped bring it across the finish line, and to the thousands of advocates across the country whose voices, persistence, and grassroots action made this historic achievement possible. We look forward to seeing the Kay Hagan Tick Act signed into law and to building on this momentum to deliver the research, prevention, diagnostics, and treatments that patients and families so urgently need. This legislation is a critical investment in our nation's public health infrastructure and an important step toward finally turning the tide against these complex and devastating diseases," said Meghan Bradshaw, MPH, Executive Director of the Center for Lyme Action.

"On behalf of the Entomological Society of America, we are extremely appreciative of the support shown in the House and Senate for the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act and we thank Senator Collins for her continued leadership on this issue. Reauthorizing the CDC Regional Centers of Excellence (COE) in Vector-Borne Diseases and reinforcing support for the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant program will help protect communities across the country from the growing challenges posed by diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes through research, surveillance, management, and outreach," said Dr. Melissa Siebert, the 2026 President of the Entomological Society of America.

The complete text of the bill can be read here.

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