Kay Hagan Tick Act Reauthorization Extends Disease Funding Through 2030, Boosting Local Health Response

If you live in an area where ticks and mosquitos are a fact of life—think hiking trails, wooded backyards, or even just a humid summer—this bill is about keeping the federal programs that track and fight those diseases funded and running. This legislation, which reauthorizes the Kay Hagan Tick Act, is straightforward: it extends the funding authorization for key vector-borne disease control programs, including the national strategy and regional centers, from their current expiration date in 2025 all the way through 2030 (specifically covering fiscal years 2026 through 2030).

Keeping the Lights On for Disease Fighters

The core of this bill is financial stability for public health efforts. By reauthorizing the funding for five more years, the government is ensuring that the regional centers focused on diseases like Lyme, West Nile, and Zika can continue their work. This isn’t just about research; it’s about making sure that if you get bit and contract something, the public health system is ready to identify and track the outbreak. The bill also updates the goals for these programs, specifically pushing states to “boost their ability to spot, report, stop, and react” to these diseases faster than before. For the average person, this means better surveillance and a quicker response time if a disease starts spreading in your community.

Support for Local Health Departments

Beyond the national strategy, the bill also extends the “enhanced support” funding that goes directly to local health departments. Think of your county health office—the one that sends out warnings about mosquito spraying or local Lyme cases. That office relies on this federal support to manage local outbreaks and prevention efforts. The bill extends the authorization for this specific local support funding (Section 2822(c) of the Public Health Service Act) through 2030 as well. This continued funding is crucial because local health departments are the front line; they’re the ones managing testing and reporting, which directly affects how quickly a local health crisis can be contained. Without this reauthorization, that funding stream would dry up after 2025.

The Working Group Gets a Refresh

The legislation also makes a small but important tweak to the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, which advises the government. It updates the language (under Section 317U of the Public Health Service Act) to ensure the right experts are at the table, keeping the group relevant as the science of these diseases evolves. This isn't a flashy change, but it ensures that the federal strategy is being guided by the most current expertise. Overall, this bill is a maintenance check for a critical public health infrastructure, providing the certainty needed to keep the fight against tick and mosquito-borne illnesses fully funded and operational for the next half-decade.