§284s Tick-borne diseases

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must keep doing and funding research on diseases spread by ticks and other vectors. Every three years, the report required under section 283 must say what the National Institutes of Health has done about tick-borne disease research. The Secretary must set up a Tick-Borne Disease Working Group of federal and non-federal members to review HHS work, improve coordination, and help set research priorities. Within 2 years after December 13, 2016, the group must create or update a summary of ongoing research and progress (covering causes, prevention, treatment, surveillance, diagnosis, diagnostics, how long illness lasts, and interventions), federal activities, research gaps, its meetings, and public comments. The group must make recommendations, get input from States, localities, and non-government groups (including patient groups, providers, researchers, and industry), and meet at least twice a year. The group will have seven federal members (including reps from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, FDA, CDC, NIH, and other HHS offices) and seven non-federal public members (doctors, scientists, patients or family members, patient advocacy nonprofits, and other helpful experts). Every 2 years after the first report, the group must send a report to the Secretary, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and post it on the HHS website. The group is an advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and will end 6 years after December 13, 2016.