HR 4348: To reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, and for other purposes.

HR 4348 in plain English: This bill reauthorizes the Kay Hagan Tick Act through fiscal year 2030, extending federal programs that combat diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes, and other vectors. It continues CDC activities including a national strategy, grants to regional centers of excellence, and partnerships with state, local, and tribal health departments to strengthen prevention and response capabilities.

Stated purpose

To continue federal programs through 2030 that help prevent and respond to diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes, and other vectors, including funding for research centers and support for state, local, and tribal health departments.

Key points

• Reauthorizes CDC vector-borne disease programs through FY2030
• Continues grants to regional centers of excellence focused on tick- and mosquito-borne diseases
• Extends cooperative agreements with state, local, and tribal health departments to build response capacity
• Maintains a national strategy for addressing vector-borne diseases

Arguments supporters make

• Tick- and mosquito-borne diseases are a serious and growing public health problem, and keeping these programs funded ensures communities stay prepared to detect and respond to outbreaks.
• State and local health departments rely on this federal support to build expertise they could not easily fund on their own, especially in rural or under-resourced areas.
• The original law had bipartisan support, and simply renewing it for five more years maintains proven infrastructure without creating new bureaucracy.

Arguments opponents make

• Reauthorizing the program without a thorough review of its results means Congress may be continuing to spend money on efforts whose effectiveness has not been clearly demonstrated.
• Responsibility for tracking and responding to regional insect-borne diseases may be better handled at the state level without ongoing federal coordination and grant structures.
• The bill removes a specific reference to the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group as a consulting body, which critics could see as reducing expert input into the national strategy.

Tradeoffs

Continuing federal funding keeps national coordination and support in place for communities facing vector-borne disease risks, but it also means ongoing federal spending and oversight in an area some argue states are better positioned to manage themselves.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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