[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 741 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 741
To provide for the expansion of Federal efforts concerning the
prevention, education, treatment, and research activities related to
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including the establishment of a
Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 31, 2007
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Holden, Mr.
Gilchrest, Mr. Shays, Mrs. Lowey, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Bean, Mr. Langevin,
Mr. Baird, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Grijalva, and Mr. McHugh)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the expansion of Federal efforts concerning the
prevention, education, treatment, and research activities related to
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including the establishment of a
Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease
Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Lyme disease is a common but frequently misunderstood
illness that, if not caught early and treated properly, can
cause serious health problems.
(2) Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is
transmitted by a tick bite. Early signs of infection may
include a rash and flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle
aches, headaches, and fatigue.
(3) Although Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics
if caught early, the disease often goes undetected because it
mimics other illnesses or may be misdiagnosed. Untreated, Lyme
disease can lead to severe heart, neurological, eye, and joint
problems because the bacteria can affect many different organs
and organ systems.
(4) If an individual with Lyme disease does not receive
treatment, such individual can develop severe heart,
neurological, eye, and joint problems.
(5) Although Lyme disease accounts for 90 percent of all
vector-borne infections in the United States, the ticks that
spread Lyme disease also spread other diseases, such as
ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and other strains of Borrelia. All of
these diseases in 1 patient makes diagnosis and treatment more
difficult.
(6) Studies indicate that the actual number of tick-borne
disease cases are approximately 10 times the amount reported.
(7) Persistence of symptomatology in many patients without
reliable testing makes treatment of patients more difficult.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A TICK-BORNE DISEASES ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall establish within
the Office of the Secretary an advisory committee to be known as the
Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee (referred to in this section as
the ``Committee'').
(b) Duties.--The Committee shall advise the Secretary and the
Assistant Secretary for Health regarding the manner in which such
officials can--
(1) ensure interagency coordination and communication and
minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne
diseases;
(2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other
Federal agencies and private organizations addressing such
diseases;
(3) ensure interagency coordination and communication with
constituency groups;
(4) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints
are represented in public health policy decisions and that
information disseminated to the public and physicians is
balanced; and
(5) advise relevant Federal agencies on priorities related
to the Lyme and tick-borne diseases.
(c) Membership.--
(1) Appointed members.--
(A) In general.--From among individuals who are not
officers or employees of the Federal Government, the
Secretary shall appoint to the Committee, as voting
members, an equal number of individuals from each of
the groups described in clauses (i) through (v) of
subparagraph (B).
(B) Groups.--The groups described in this
subparagraph include the following:
(i) Scientific community members
representing the broad spectrum of viewpoints
held within the scientific community related to
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
(ii) Representatives of tick-borne disease
voluntary organizations.
(iii) Health care providers, including at
least 1 full-time practicing physician, with
relevant experience providing care for
individuals with a broad range of acute and
chronic tick-borne diseases.
(iv) Patient representatives who are
individuals who have been diagnosed with a
tick-borne disease or who have had an immediate
family member diagnosed with such a disease.
(v) Representatives of State and local
health departments and national organizations
that represent State and local health
professionals.
(C) Diversity.--In appointing members under this
paragraph, the Secretary shall ensure that such
members, as a group, represent a diversity of
scientific perspectives relevant to the duties of the
Committee.
(2) Ex officio members.--The Secretary shall designate, as
nonvoting, ex officio members of the Committee, representatives
overseeing tick-borne disease activities from each of the
following Federal agencies:
(A) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(B) The National Institutes of Health.
(C) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
(D) The Food and Drug Administration.
(E) The Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Health.
(F) Such additional Federal agencies as the
Secretary determines to be appropriate.
(3) Co-chairpersons.--The Secretary shall designate the
Assistant Secretary of Health as the co-chairperson of the
Committee. The appointed members of the Committee shall also
elect a public co-chairperson. The public co-chairperson shall
serve a 2-year term.
(4) Term of appointment.--The term of service for each
member of the Committee appointed under paragraph (1) shall be
4 years.
(5) Vacancy.--A vacancy in the membership of the Committee
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
Any member appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term
shall be appointed for the remainder of that term. Members may
serve after the expiration of their terms until their
successors have taken office.
(d) Meetings.--The Committee shall hold public meetings, except as
otherwise determined by the Secretary, after providing notice to the
public of such meetings, and shall meet at least twice a year with
additional meetings subject to the call of the co-chairpersons. Agenda
items with respect to such meetings may be added at the request of the
members of the Committee, including the co-chairpersons. Meetings shall
be conducted, and records of the proceedings shall be maintained, as
required by applicable law and by regulations of the Secretary.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $250,000 for
each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2011. Amounts appropriated under
the preceding sentence shall be used for the expenses and per diem
costs incurred by the Committee under this section in accordance with
the Federal Advisory Committee Act, except that no voting member of the
Committee shall be a permanent salaried employee.
SEC. 4. FEDERAL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE DIAGNOSIS, SURVEILLANCE,
PREVENTION, AND RESEARCH OF LYME AND OTHER TICK-BORNE
DISEASES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting as appropriate through the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
Director of the National Institutes of Health, the Commissioner of Food
and Drugs, and the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, as well as additional Federal agencies as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate, and in consultation with the Tick-Borne
Diseases Advisory Committee, shall provide for the coordination of all
Federal programs and activities related to Lyme and other tick-borne
diseases, including the activities described in paragraphs (1) through
(4) of subsection (b).
(b) Activities.--The activities described in this subsection are
the following:
(1) Development of diagnostic tests.--Such activities
include--
(A) the development of sensitive and more accurate
diagnostic tools and tests, including a direct
detection test for Lyme disease capable of
distinguishing active infection from past infection;
(B) improving the efficient utilization of
diagnostic testing currently available to account for
the multiple clinical manifestations of both acute and
chronic Lyme disease; and
(C) providing for the timely evaluation of
promising emerging diagnostic methods.
(2) Surveillance and reporting.--Such activities include
surveillance and reporting of Lyme and other tick-borne
diseases--
(A) to accurately determine the prevalence of Lyme
and other tick-borne disease;
(B) to evaluate the feasibility of developing a
reporting system for the collection of data on
physician-diagnosed cases of Lyme disease that do not
meet the surveillance criteria of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in order to more
accurately gauge disease incidence; and
(C) to evaluate the feasibility of creating a
national uniform reporting system including required
reporting by laboratories in each State.
(3) Prevention.--Such activities include--
(A) the provision and promotion of access to a
comprehensive, up-to-date clearinghouse of peer-
reviewed information on Lyme and other tick-borne
disease;
(B) increased public education related to Lyme and
other tick-borne diseases through the expansion of the
Community Based Education Programs of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention to include expansion of
information access points to the public;
(C) the creation of a physician education program
that includes the full spectrum of scientific research
related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases; and
(D) the sponsoring of scientific conferences on
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including reporting
and consideration of the full spectrum of clinically-
based knowledge, with the first of such conferences to
be held not later than 24 months after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(4) Clinical outcomes research.--Such activities include--
(A) the establishment of epidemiological research
objectives to determine the long term course of illness
for Lyme disease; and
(B) determination of the effectiveness of different
treatment modalities by establishing treatment outcome
objectives.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purposes of carrying
out this section, and for the purposes of providing for additional
research, prevention, and educational activities for Lyme and other
tick-borne diseases, there is authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012. Such authorization is
in addition to any other authorization of appropriations available for
such purpose.
SEC. 5. REPORTS ON LYME AND OTHER TICK-BORNE DISEASES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report on the activities carried out under this
Act.
(b) Content.--Reports under subsection (a) shall contain--
(1) significant activities or developments related to the
surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, education, or prevention of
Lyme or other tick-borne diseases, including suggestions for
further research and education;
(2) a scientifically qualified assessment of Lyme and other
tick-borne diseases, including both acute and chronic
instances, related to the broad spectrum of empirical evidence
of treating physicians, as well as published peer reviewed
data, that shall include recommendations for addressing
research gaps in diagnosis and treatment of Lyme and other
tick-borne diseases and an evaluation of treatment guidelines
and their utilization;
(3) progress in the development of accurate diagnostic
tools that are more useful in the clinical setting for both
acute and chronic disease; and
(4) the promotion of public awareness and physician
education initiatives to improve the knowledge of health care
providers and the public regarding clinical and surveillance
practices for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.
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