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Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from Minnesota Senator Smith to introduce the Kay Hagan Tick Act Reauthorization. I would also like to recognize Senator King, who is joining as an original cosponsor. Our bill is named after our colleague, former Senator Kay Hagan, who passed away in October 2019 due to complications from the tick-borne disease known as the Powassan virus. This bipartisan legislation will reauthorize Federal programs that provide local communities and States with resources for prevention, early detection, and treatment of tick-borne and other vector-borne diseases.

Tick-borne diseases like Lyme have become a significant public health concern, with the incidence exploding over the past 20 years. The number of Americans with tick-borne diseases has been rising at an alarming rate. In 2003, Lyme disease infected around 30,000 Americans. Last year, there were an estimated 500,000 cases, an increase of 1,400 percent. In my Sate of Maine, we recorded a record 3,200 cases of Lyme disease in 2024, and experts predict a increase in tick populations this year after a winter that was not consistently cold enough to reduce their numbers.

Far too many Americans with Lyme disease experience a complex diagnostic odyssey that takes months or even years. One of my constituents, Adina Bercowicz from Yarmouth, shared with me her harrowing journey of diagnosis and treatment after a tick bite during her pregnancy. Prior to getting sick, Adina was working full-time and regularly attended yoga and martial arts classes, had an active social life, and traveled frequently for work. She then began to experience symptoms such as chronic fatigue, sharp joint pain, memory loss, cognitive decline, and migraines. It took several doctors and dozens of tests for Adina to be diagnosed with late-stage, chronic Lyme disease, but at this point, her symptoms were debilitating. She still struggles with daily symptoms, but along with her husband Yan, has worked to found LymeTV, a nonprofit in Maine that seeks to raise awareness about Lyme disease.

In addition to the physical and emotional toll that Lyme disease can impose, it also can be expensive. Medical costs of Lyme disease are estimated at $2 billion per year. When accounting for indirect medical costs, including inability to work, in some cases, the annual costs balloon to $75 billion per year.

A correct and early diagnosis can reduce costs and improve the prognosis. We have a long way to go, but I am encouraged that we have made progress since the original Kay Hagan Tick Act was signed into law in 2019. For example, a clinical trial for a Lyme disease vaccine for people is underway right now at the MaineHealth Institute for Research. Reauthorizing the Tick Act would allow crucial developments such as these to continue.

The Tick Act uses a three-pronged approach to address Lyme and other tick and vector-borne diseases. First, it would require HHS to continue to implement and update as appropriate its National Strategy for Vector-Borne Disease. This strategy was required by the original legislation and released in 2024. I look forward to working with the Department to achieve its target of reducing the number of Lyme disease cases by 25 percent by 2035.

Second, the Tick Act would reauthorize the Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease, which Congress established in 2017 in response to Zika. Since then, tick-borne diseases have accounted for three in four vector-borne diseases in the U.S., and these centers have led the scientific response. Our legislation would reauthorize funding for these centers for another 5 years.

Finally, the bill would reauthorize funding for CDC grants, awarded to State Health Departments, to improve data collection and analysis, support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment, and raise awareness for vector-borne diseases.

The Kay Hagan Tick Act takes a comprehensive approach to address tick-borne diseases. I urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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