Tick Identification Pilot Program Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4979 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4979

 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 
  the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to 
    award grants to States to implement a tick identification pilot 
                                program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 15, 2025

  Mr. Gottheimer (for himself and Mr. Kean) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 
  the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to 
    award grants to States to implement a tick identification pilot 
                                program.

    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 ``Tick Identification Pilot Program 
Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. TICK IDENTIFICATION PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, may award grants to States to implement a tick 
identification program.
    (b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to States that--
            (1) have more reported cases of Lyme disease and other 
        tick-borne diseases; and
            (2) submit an effective plan for implementation and 
        maintenance of a tick identification program.
    (c) Program Requirements.--Any program funded under this section 
shall--
            (1) allow individuals to submit electronically photo images 
        of ticks encountered;
            (2) require images of ticks to be submitted with the likely 
        geographic location where the ticks were encountered, the date 
        on which the ticks were encountered, and the likely physical 
        location where the ticks were found (for example, on a pet, on 
        a human, or loose);
            (3) after review by a qualified professional, respond to 
        the individual directly within 72 hours of the image being 
        received with--
                    (A) if possible, identification of the species and 
                life stage of the tick;
                    (B) if possible, an estimate of the risk that the 
                tick carried a tick-borne disease;
                    (C) a recommendation of the best practices for the 
                individual who encountered the tick, including with 
                respect to seeking medical evaluation and submitting 
                the tick for testing; and
                    (D) additional education on best methods to avoid 
                ticks and prevent contagion of tick-borne illnesses; 
                and
            (4) maintain a database of reported tick incidents, 
        including--
                    (A) the date, geographic location, and environment 
                of the encounter;
                    (B) any identifying information about the tick that 
                was determined; and
                    (C) best practices that were disseminated to each 
                reporting individual.
    (d) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, a State shall 
submit an application at such time, in such form, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may prescribe.
    (e) Data Collection; Report.--
            (1) Data collection.--The Secretary shall collect, with 
        respect to each State program funded under this section and 
        each fiscal year, the following data:
                    (A) The number of tick incidents reported.
                    (B) For each incident reported--
                            (i) the date, geographic location, and 
                        environment of the encounter;
                            (ii) any identifying information about the 
                        tick that was determined; and
                            (iii) best practices that were disseminated 
                        to each reporting individual.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the first day of 
        each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029, the Secretary shall 
        prepare and submit to the Congress a report on the data 
        collected under paragraph (1).
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Qualified professional.--The term ``qualified 
        professional'' means a biologist with a background in vector 
        biology.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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