NatCapLyme Advocates on Capitol Hill for Stronger Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Programs
July 30, 2025
Last week, NatCapLyme’s Monte and Gregg Skall joined the Center for Lyme Action on Capitol Hill to educate Members of Congress about the urgent need for increased FY26 federal funding for Lyme and tick-borne diseases, as well as the reauthorization of the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Act. These initiatives are vital to our community at both the state and national levels.
Why the Kay Hagan Tick Act Matters
The Act:
- Directs HHS to create and regularly update a National Vector-Borne Disease Strategy, improving coordination, expanding research, and advancing diagnostics.
- Provides grants to state and local health departments to strengthen prevention, surveillance, and rapid response efforts.
- Reauthorizes the Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease, ensuring ongoing leadership and innovation in this critical area.
How You Can Help
Every voice counts! Please join the national letter-writing campaign and ask your U.S. Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the Tick Act. It takes less than 5 minutes using this link. You can also make an appointment to meet your legislators in their home districts to share why this issue is important to you.
We are pleased to report that our meetings with Virginia Congressmen Ben Cline (VA-6) and Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) were extremely productive. Both expressed strong support for these initiatives!
