What's happening
This bill creates a Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group to review, recommend, and report on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies.
Why it matters
Brings together a wide range of expertise. including health, mental health, environmental, insurance, scientific, and advocacy representatives—to ensure that prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for Lyme and tick-borne diseases are reviewed from multiple, relevant perspectives.
Aims to improve care and coordination. by recommending ways to enhance patient care (especially in high-risk areas), encourage best practices among county health departments, and streamline interagency and intergovernmental efforts.
Addresses data and reporting gaps. by evaluating current requirements for healthcare providers and suggesting improvements for disease tracking, which could lead to better-informed public health responses and resource allocation.
Ensures accountability and timely action. by requiring the group to issue a public report with findings and recommendations by a set deadline, and allowing the group to proceed even if some appointments are delayed—helping to avoid bureaucratic holdups.
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Who cares
State health, mental health, environmental conservation and financial services agencies
Their leaders or representatives would serve on a working group charged with recommending improvements to Lyme and tick-borne disease care, prevention and interagency coordination.
Patients with Lyme and tick-borne diseases and advocacy organizations
The group would recommend improvements to care for patients and suspected patients, particularly in endemic areas, and include a tick-borne disease advocacy representative.
Healthcare practitioners and health insurers
Required membership would include medical and mental health practitioners and an insurer representative, while the group would review diagnosis and treatment practices and recommend data collection and reporting requirements.
County health departments
The group would recommend collaborations among county departments to promote effective prevention and reporting strategies.
Headline styles
Create Tick Disease Task Force
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Signed chap.337
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.408
- Substituted for A8900A
- Referred to governmental operations
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1108
Show 3 earlier actions
- Print number 7170a
- Amend and recommit to finance
- Referred to finance
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Create Tick Disease Task Force
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Pamela J. Hunter
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7170--A
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 3, 2018
Introduced by Sens. SERINO, HANNON, AMEDORE, AVELLA, BONACIC, CROCI, HELMING, JACOBS, LARKIN, LITTLE, MARCHIONE, O'MARA, PHILLIPS, RANZEN- HOFER, RITCHIE, SAVINO, SEWARD, TEDISCO, VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new article 45-B to read as follows:
ARTICLE 45-B
LYME AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES WORKING GROUP Section 958. Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group.
§ 958. Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group. 1. There is hereby created in the executive department a Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group consisting of the:
(a) commissioner of health;
(b) commissioner of the office of mental health;
(c) commissioner of environmental conservation;
(d) superintendent of financial services, who shall serve ex officio and who may designate representatives to act on their behalf; and
(e) six additional members to be appointed by the governor.
2. The governor shall also appoint eight members to the working group on the recommendation of the legislative leaders as follows:
(a) the temporary president of the senate shall recommend three members;
(b) the speaker of the assembly shall recommend three members;
(c) the minority leader of the senate shall recommend one member; and
(d) the minority leader of the assembly shall recommend one member.
3. Members appointed to the working group shall include, but not be limited to, at least one of each of the following, each of whom must
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13892-05-8
S. 7170--A 2
have experience working with issues related to Lyme and tick-borne diseases:
(a) an infectious disease specialist;
(b) a general practitioner;
(c) a mental health practitioner;
(d) an entomologist;
(e) an epidemiologist;
(f) a representative of health insurance providers; and
(g) a representative of a tick-borne disease advocacy organization.
4. The commissioner of health shall serve, ex officio, as the chair of the working group, and the governor shall designate the vice chair of the working group. In appointing members of the working group, appointing authorities shall ensure that such members, as a group, represent diverse scientific perspectives relevant to the duties of the working group. The members of the working group, except those who serve ex officio, shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties under this article but shall receive no additional compensation for services rendered pursuant to this article.
5. The working group, on call of the chair, shall meet at least twice each year and at such other times as may be necessary. The working group may establish quorum requirements and other rules and procedures regarding conduct of its meetings and other affairs.
6. The working group shall have the following powers and responsibilities:
(a) review current best practices for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, as well as any reports or recommendations from the twenty-first century workgroup for disease elimination and reduction, pursuant to section two hundred sixty-six of the public health law;
(b) provide recommendations including, but not limited to:
(i) improvements to the delivery of care for patients and suspected patients of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, particularly those from endemic areas of the state;
(ii) collaborations among county departments of health to promote effective strategies to combat Lyme and tick-borne diseases, including best practices for prevention and reporting;
(iii) interagency collaborations to streamline state efforts to combat the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases;
(iv) identifying opportunities to collaborate with the federal government, non-profit entities, or private organizations on projects addressing these diseases;
(v) data collection and reporting requirements of Lyme and tick-borne disease, including but not limited to, those for healthcare providers; and
(vi) any other regulations or guidelines concerning Lyme and tickborne diseases; and
(c) prepare and issue a report on the working group's findings and recommendations by May first, two thousand nineteen to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly.
7. If any appointments to the working group are not made by April fifteenth, two thousand nineteen, then the working group may proceed to meet and fulfill its responsibilities, pursuant to paragraphs two and three of this section, without such appointees.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group
Purpose
To gather experts across various disciplines for the purpose of provid- ing recommendations on how to address the Lyme and TBDs epidemic.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: A Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group is established, consisting of the commissioners of the Department of Health, Office of Mental Health, Environmental Conservation, as well as the Superintendent of Financial Services. Additionally, the Governor shall appoint six members to the working group, while the Temporary President of the Senate and Speaker of the Assembly shall each appoint three, and the minority leaders of the Senate and Assembly shall each appoint one. Among those appointed to the working group shall be an infectious disease specialist, a general practitioner, a mental health practition- er, an entomologist, and epidemiologist, a representative of health insurance providers and a representative of a tick-borne disease advoca- cy organization.
The working group will review current best practices for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Lyme and TBDs, and provide recommendations on improvements to the delivery of care, collaborations at the county, state, and federal level, data collection, reporting, and other issues as determined by the task force.
The working group will submit a report of their findings and recommenda- tions by May 1, 2019.
Justification
According to the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, there are approximately 8,000 cases of Lyme disease, and more than 1,000 cases of other tick-borne diseases reported in the state each year, and it is estimated that there are many more cases that go unre- ported. Not only is the scale of the epidemic concerning, Lyme and tick- borne diseases (TBDs) have also proven to be especially challenging due to difficulties posed by their diagnosis, treatment and prevention. In light of the array of challenges presented by such infections, this legislation would establish a working group that would bring together a variety of experts with experience in dealing with Lyme and TBDs in an effort mitigate the impacts of their spread.
Although Lyme and tick-borne diseases have traditionally been limited in New York State to the Hudson Valley and Long Island, these diseases are spreading and becoming more common in other parts of the state as well. It is critical that the state ensures that reliable and up-to-date information regarding these infections are readily accessible not only for the traditional hot spots of this epidemic, but for areas that have less experience in dealing with such infections. Information and recom- mendations from the working group could dramatically assist the state, as well as local governments, in combatting this epidemic.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
Minimal.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.