WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act, which she introduced with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), with Senator Angus King joining them as an original cosponsor, has been signed into law.
Cases of Lyme disease have reached a new record level in Maine every year since 2022, with more than 4,200 cases reported statewide last year.
The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act confronts this growing public health threat by reauthorizing federal initiatives and programs to combat tick-borne diseases first established through the original Kay Hagan Tick Act, which Senators Collins and Smith led to passage in 2019. The Senators named their bill in honor of the late Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC), who passed away in October of 2019 due to complications from the tick-borne disease known as the Powassan virus.
“With Maine continuing to experience record levels of Lyme disease, we must continue working to address the growing threat posed by tick-borne diseases,” said Senator Collins. “The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act builds on the progress we have made in combatting these diseases since the original law was enacted and ensures this important work can continue across the country. I am grateful to Senator Smith for her partnership in this effort and to our colleagues in both chambers for working with us to move this important legislation across the finish line, and I am pleased to see it now signed into law.”