TranslatePolitics.com

Recent debates

8 latest topics

09-03 Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026 13 statements 09-03 Moment of Silence in Honor of the 25th Anniversary of September 11 2 statements 09-03 Honoring Former U.S. Representative Charles Hatcher of Georgia 2 statements 09-03 Recognizing Firefighters from California's Third Congressional District 17 statements 09-02 Saluting White Plains Beautification Foundation 2 statements 09-02 Celebrating Rural Lawyer Julie Bear 4 statements 09-02 Operation Midway Blitz Anniversary 2 statements 09-02 Catherine Watts Celebrates 100th Birthday 4 statements

House of Representatives

Reauthorizing the Kay Hagan Tick Act

2026-07-20 Issue 118 Showing 1–2 of 2

Official Congressional Record ↗

Frank Pallone, Jr.

Democrat

“I want this bill to pass. I support spending money to fight ticks and diseases they carry. I think more people get sick from ticks than before. The government should spend money to fight this. The bill will pay for research and coordination. I want everyone to vote for the bill. I name the important people who wrote the bill. Let's honor a Senator who died from a tick disease.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4348, the Kay Hagan Tick Act, sponsored by my colleagues Chris Smith of New Jersey and Lloyd Doggett of Texas. I understand that Mr. Kean from New Jersey is also a sponsor. This bill reauthorizes the national strategy and regional centers of excellence in vector-borne diseases. Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, have rapidly increased over the last decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly a half million people may, in fact, be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease every year in the United States. That is a dramatic increase from 30,000 annual cases just two decades ago. H.R. 4348 would expand research, improve testing, and coordinate vector-borne disease efforts across the Federal Government. The bill would also reauthorize funding for Regional Centers of Excellence for surveillance, prevention, and response to vector-borne diseases and reauthorize grants to State health departments to support vector-borne disease infrastructure. Tick and vector-borne disease have rapidly increased, Mr. Speaker, particularly in the northeastern part of our country. I encourage all of my colleagues to honor the legacy of Senator Kay Hagan, who died of complications from a tick-borne disease, by voting ``yes'' on H.R. 4348. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Paul Tonko

Democrat 3:00 p.m.

“I want everyone to support this bill. This bill will spend money to fight diseases from ticks. Ticks and the diseases they carry are a big problem in New York. Many people get sick. Some people get very sick and have problems for a long time. The government should spend money on research and programs to fight these diseases. Our bill will do that. I worked on this bill with people from both parties. I want everyone to support it.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Kay Hagan Tick Act legislation that I am leading along with my colleagues, Representatives Chris Smith, Lloyd Doggett, and Tom Kean. The Kay Hagan Tick Act would reauthorize key programs at the CDC that fund both research and support for local public health agencies to address tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease. Tick-borne diseases are a large and growing problem in New York, with more than 18,000 cases of Lyme disease reported in New York State in 2024. Lyme can cause serious health consequences, and for some, long- term complications persist after treatment. With a warming climate, tick populations and ranges are on the rise, leading to fears that tick-borne diseases will continue to increase in frequency in the years to come. Already, warning signs are blaring that 2026 could be the worst year for tick exposures since 2017, based on CDC tracking data. In this backdrop, research investments and public health resources are more vital than ever. That is what the Kay Hagan Tick Act will deliver. I am proud to have worked on this commonsense bipartisan bill, and I would urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

What they said. What they meant.

Recent debates