Lizzie Fletcher

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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2398, the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act. This legislation strengthens the infrastructure and research needed to improve our response to illnesses spread by ticks and other vectors. Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, have been reported in all 50 States and Washington, D.C., and continue to increase. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost half a million people are treated for Lyme disease every year. That is more than double compared to two decades ago. This bill expands research, improves testing, and coordinates vector- borne disease efforts across the Federal Government. It also reauthorizes funding for Regional Centers of Excellence for surveillance, prevention, and response to vector-borne diseases, and reauthorizes grants to State health departments to support their vector-borne disease infrastructure. With tick and vector-borne disease increasing in the United States, I encourage all of my colleagues to honor the legacy of Senator Kay Hagan, who died from complications of a virus caused by a tick bite, by voting ``yes'' on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.