Senator Collins Delivers Floor Remarks Ahead of Unanimous Senate Passage of Her Bill to Combat Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases

Bill passage follows a year in which Maine set another record for reported Lyme disease cases.

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Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of her remarks.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act she introduced with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN)-with Senator Angus King (I-ME) joining them as an original cosponsor-passed the Senate unanimously. Senator Collins spoke from the Senate floor prior to passage of the bill.

The bill reauthorizes 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 former 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.

"Our bipartisan legislation strengthens federal efforts to confront the alarming public health threat posed by Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses," said Senator Collins during her remarks. "Each year, the state of Maine has hit a new record high in the number of cases for Lyme disease. Current projections show that 2026 will yet again be a record-setting year. This is a record that we do not want to set."

"Nevertheless, I am encouraged that we are making progress. A clinical trial for a Lyme disease vaccine is underway right now at the MaineHealth Institute for Research," she continued. "Every year my beloved labrador retriever can get a vaccine for tick diseases, and yet we humans cannot. I'm hoping this clinical trial will be successful, and it will make a real difference. Reauthorizing the Kay Hagan Tick Act would allow crucial projects such as that research and public education campaigns to continue."

"The University of Maine has an excellent lab that specializes in testing ticks for pathogens, and it has worked very closely with our game wardens, with foresters, with others who are routinely in the woods of Maine and are exposed to tick bites. It actually has developed a little tick kit where you can send the tick into the lab, and it will be tested for pathogens. So, I would be remiss if I did not salute the University of Maine for its excellent work on tick-borne illnesses. This legislation is going to make a big difference in helping to advance their work as well as the research at the MaineHealth Institute for Research," Senator Collins concluded.

Cases of Lyme disease reached a new record level in Maine last year, after doing the same the year before, with more than 4,200 cases being reported statewide. The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act aims to confront the growing public health threat posed by Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases by reauthorizing federal efforts to improve research, prevention, diagnostics, and treatment for these diseases.

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

• Reauthorize Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease for five years. These Centers have led the scientific response against tick-borne diseases, which now make up 75 percent of vector-borne diseases in the U.S. There are four centers located at universities in California, Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin. Funding for these centers, which was allotted in 2017, expired last year.

• Reauthorize CDC Grants to State Health Departments to improve data collection and analysis, support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment, and raise awareness of vector-borne diseases. 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.

• 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 efforts to expand research into tick-borne diseases, improve testing and diagnostics, and coordinate efforts across the federal government.

"Reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act represents a critical commitment to addressing the growing threat of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Maine and across the country. Sustained federal support will strengthen surveillance, research, prevention, and public health response while helping translate scientific advances into practical protections for individuals and communities. We appreciate Senator Collins' continued support on an issue that affects so many Maine people," said Griffin Dill, Director of the University of Maine Tick Lab.

"The passage of the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act is a landmark victory for millions of Americans impacted by tick-borne diseases and a major step forward for public health. As a North Carolinian, it is especially meaningful to see Senator Kay Hagan's legacy continue through legislation that will strengthen our nation's response to these increasingly common and complex illnesses. As someone whose own life has been profoundly shaped by tick-borne disease, I know firsthand the devastating consequences these infections can have on individuals and families. This law represents hope-hope for better prevention, stronger public health infrastructure, greater support for states and communities, and faster progress toward the diagnostics, treatments, and care that patients have waited far too long to receive. We are grateful to the bipartisan champions in Congress who made this achievement possible and look forward to working with federal agencies to ensure its successful implementation," said Meghan Bradshaw, MPH, Executive Director of the Center for Lyme Action.

"Vector-borne diseases, particularly those transmitted by ticks, represent a rapidly expanding burden on the nation's public health system. Incidence rates of diseases such as Lyme, alpha-gal syndrome, anaplasmosis, and others have increased significantly over the past two decades, underscoring the urgent need for a coordinated, science-based national response. The Kay Hagan Tick Act is an important part of strengthening federal coordination, enhancing surveillance, and supporting research on vector-borne diseases. Reauthorization of this legislation will ensure continued progress in several critical areas, including improving diagnostic tools, expanding public health infrastructure, advancing integrated vector management strategies, and fostering collaboration across federal, state, and local agencies. The Entomological Society of America is very grateful to Senator Collins for her critical leadership on this issue, and thanks the many other offices that joined as co-sponsors," said Erin Cadwalader, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Leadership and Policy for the Entomological Society of America.

The complete text of the bill can be read here.

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