Sen. Sally J. Turner

Filed: 3/24/2023

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2044

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2044 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Gabby Galbo
5Tickborne Disease Prevention and Protection Law.
 
6    Section 5. The Lyme Disease Prevention and Protection Act
7is amended by changing Sections 1, 5, 10, and 15 and by adding
8Section 7 as follows:
 
9    (410 ILCS 450/1)
10    Sec. 1. Short title; references to Act.
11    (a) Short title. This Act may be cited as the Tickborne
12Lyme Disease Prevention and Protection Act.
13    (b) References to Act. This Act may be referred to as the
14Lauryn Russell Lyme Disease Prevention and Protection Law.
15(Source: P.A. 100-1137, eff. 1-1-19.)
 

 

 

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1    (410 ILCS 450/5)
2    Sec. 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares
3the following:
4        (1) Lyme disease, a bacterial disease transmitted by
5    infected ticks, was first recognized in the United States
6    in 1975 after a mysterious outbreak of arthritis near Old
7    Lyme, Connecticut. Since then, reports of Lyme disease
8    have increased dramatically, and the disease has become an
9    important public health concern.
10        (2) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
11    states that the reported Lyme disease cases are numbered
12    at 30,000 a year in the United States, but the actual
13    burden of Lyme disease may actually be as high as 300,000
14    cases a year throughout the United States.
15        (3) The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease can vary
16    greatly from one person to another, and symptoms can also
17    vary with the length of time a person has been infected.
18    The initial symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to those
19    of more common diseases, such as a flu-like illness
20    without a cough or mononucleosis; it may or may not
21    present Erythema Migrans, a "bulls eye" marking, which is
22    the most common identifiable mark for Lyme disease, and
23    many infected persons do not recall a tick bite; further
24    symptoms can develop over time, including fever, severe
25    headache, stiff neck, certain heart irregularities,

 

 

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1    temporary paralysis of facial muscles, pain with numbness
2    or weakness in arms or legs, loss of concentration or
3    memory problems, and, most commonly, Lyme arthritis.
4        (4) Not all ticks carry the bacterium of Lyme disease,
5    and a bite does not always result in the development of
6    Lyme disease. However, since it is impossible to tell by
7    sight which ticks are infected, it is important to avoid
8    tick bites whenever possible and to perform regular tick
9    checks when traversing in tick-infested areas of the
10    United States, any wooded areas, or any areas with tall
11    grass and weeds. A person should seek assistance for early
12    identification and treatment when Lyme disease symptoms or
13    other tick-borne illness is suspected.
14        (5) Because Lyme disease is a complex illness, there
15    is a continuous need to increase funding for Lyme disease
16    diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. In 2015, the first
17    major research program devoted to the causes and cures of
18    Lyme disease was established at Johns Hopkins School of
19    Medicine as the Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center.
20        (6) Initial funding from federal grants has provided
21    for research known as the Study of Lyme Disease Immunology
22    and Clinical Events. The federal 21st Century Cures Act
23    created a working group within the United States
24    Department of Health and Human Services to improve
25    outcomes of Lyme disease and to develop a plan for
26    improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. However,

 

 

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1    there is still a need for more research on Lyme disease and
2    efforts to promote awareness of its signs and symptoms,
3    such as work with entomologists and veterinary
4    epidemiologist whose current focus is on tick-borne
5    infections and their distribution in the State of
6    Illinois.
7        (7) People treated with appropriate antibiotics in the
8    early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and
9    completely. The National Institutes of Health has funded
10    several studies on the treatment of Lyme disease that show
11    most people recover when treated with antibiotics taken by
12    mouth within a few weeks. In a small percentage of cases,
13    symptoms such as fatigue and muscle aches can last for
14    more than 6 months. Physicians sometimes describe patients
15    who have non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue, pain, and
16    joint and muscle aches, after the treatment of Lyme
17    disease as having post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome or
18    post Lyme disease syndrome. The cause of post-treatment
19    Lyme disease syndrome is not known.
20        (8) Co-infections by other tick-borne illnesses may
21    complicate and lengthen the course of treatment.
22        (9) Tickborne diseases, including, but not limited to,
23    Lyme disease, Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis,
24    ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis afflict humans and other
25    animals and are caused by infectious agents transmitted by
26    tick bites.

 

 

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1        (10) Since 2013, tickborne diseases have been reported
2    more frequently in Illinois.
3        (11) Anyone participating in an outdoor activity,
4    especially in an area with tall grasses, shrubs,
5    low-hanging branches, or leaf mold, has a higher chance of
6    getting tick bites, but it is possible to get a tick bite
7    anywhere.
8        (12) Tick bites can occur throughout the year,
9    including during winter months.
10        (13) In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics'
11    Committee on Infectious Diseases determined that a course
12    of treatment with doxycycline is safe to prescribe to
13    young children with any infection responsive to it,
14    specifically including early tickborne diseases.
15(Source: P.A. 100-1137, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
16    (410 ILCS 450/7 new)
17    Sec. 7. Definition. As used in this Act, "tickborne
18disease" means any disease carried or caused by a tick.
 
19    (410 ILCS 450/10)
20    Sec. 10. Tickborne Lyme Disease Prevention, Detection, and
21Outreach Program.
22    (a) The Department of Public Health shall establish a
23Tickborne Lyme Disease Prevention, Detection, and Outreach
24Program. The Department shall study the diseases carried by

 

 

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1ticks in Illinois and the number of people infected by ticks in
2Illinois to provide data to the public on the incidence of
3tickborne disease and locations of exposure by county in
4Illinois. The Department shall require local health
5departments, health care professionals, and laboratories to
6report to each other and to the Department, within the period
7specified in the Control of Communicable Diseases Code (77
8Ill. Adm. Code Part 690) for reporting a communicable disease
9case to local health departments, each case of a tickborne
10disease in the local health department in whose jurisdiction
11the case is reported. The Department shall continue to study
12the population of ticks carrying Lyme disease and the number
13of people infected in Illinois to provide data to the public on
14the incidence of acute Lyme disease and locations of exposure
15in Illinois by county. The Department shall partner with the
16University of Illinois to publish tick identification and
17testing data on the Department's website and work to expand
18testing to areas where new human cases are identified. The
19Department shall require health care professionals and
20laboratories to report acute tickborne Lyme disease cases
21within the time frame required under the Control of
22Communicable Diseases Code to the local health department. To
23coordinate this program, the Department shall continue to
24support a vector-borne disease epidemiologist coordinator who
25is responsible for overseeing the program. The Department
26shall train local health departments to respond to inquiries

 

 

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1from the public.
2    (b) To raise awareness about and promote the prevention of
3tickborne disease, the protocols and best practices developed
4by the Department under subsection (a) In addition to its
5overall effort to prevent acute disease in Illinois, in order
6to raise awareness about and promote prevention of Lyme
7disease, the program shall include:
8        (1) shall be published on a designated and publicly
9    accessible webpage, shall include up-to-date information
10    about the prevention, detection, and treatment of all
11    tickborne disease, and shall illustrate the prevalence of
12    tickborne disease using historical mapping a designated
13    webpage with publicly accessible and up-to-date
14    information about the prevention, detection, and treatment
15    of Lyme disease;
16        (2) shall be developed using peer-reviewed scientific
17    research articles;
18        (3) shall be developed using government guidance and
19    recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control
20    and Prevention, National Guideline Clearinghouse under the
21    Department of Health and Human Services, and any other
22    persons or entities determined by the Tickborne Lyme
23    Disease Task Force to have particular expertise on
24    tickborne Lyme disease;
25        (4) shall include information for physicians, other
26    health care professionals and providers, and other persons

 

 

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1    subject to an increased risk of contracting a tickborne
2    Lyme disease; and
3        (5) shall include educational materials on the
4    diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tickborne Lyme
5    disease and other tick-borne illnesses for physicians and
6    other health care professionals and providers in multiple
7    formats.
8    (c) The Department shall prepare a report of all efforts
9under this Act, and the report shall be posted on the
10Department's website and distributed to the Tickborne Lyme
11Disease Task Force and the General Assembly annually. The
12report to the General Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of
13the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate
14in electronic form only, in the manner that the Clerk and the
15Secretary shall direct.
16(Source: P.A. 100-1137, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
17    (410 ILCS 450/15)
18    Sec. 15. Tickborne Lyme Disease Task Force; duties;
19members.
20    (a) The Department shall establish the Tickborne Lyme
21Disease Task Force to advise the Department on disease
22prevention and surveillance and provider and public education
23relating to the disease.
24    (b) The Task Force shall consist of the Director of Public
25Health or a designee, who shall serve as chairman, and the

 

 

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1following members:
2        (1) one representative from the Department of
3    Financial and Professional Regulation, appointed by the
4    Director of Public Health;
5        (2) 3 physicians licensed to practice medicine in all
6    its branches who are members of a statewide organization
7    representing physicians, one of whom represents a medical
8    school faculty and one of whom has the experience of
9    treating tickborne Lyme disease, appointed by the Director
10    of Public Health;
11        (3) one advanced practice registered nurse selected
12    from the recommendations of professional nursing
13    associations, appointed by the Director of Public Health;
14        (4) one local public health administrator, appointed
15    by the Director of Public Health;
16        (5) one veterinarian, appointed by the Director of
17    Public Health;
18        (6) 4 members of the public interested in tickborne
19    Lyme disease, appointed by the Director of Public Health;
20        (7) 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
21    Representatives;
22        (8) 2 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the
23    House of Representatives;
24        (9) 2 members appointed by the President of the
25    Senate; and
26        (10) 2 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the

 

 

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1    Senate.
2    (c) The terms of the members of the Task Force shall be 3
3years. Members may continue to serve after the expiration of a
4term until a new member is appointed. Each member appointed to
5fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term
6for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for
7the remainder of such term. The council shall meet as
8frequently as the chairman deems necessary, but not less than
92 times each year. Members shall receive no compensation for
10their services.
11    (d) The Tickborne Lyme Disease Task Force has the
12following duties and responsibilities:
13        (1) monitoring the implementation of this Act and
14    providing feedback and input for necessary additions or
15    modifications;
16        (2) reviewing relevant literature and guidelines that
17    define accurate diagnosis of tickborne Lyme disease with
18    the purpose of creating cohesive and consistent guidelines
19    for the determination of a tickborne disease Lyme
20    diagnosis across all counties in Illinois and with the
21    intent of providing accurate and relevant numbers to the
22    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
23        (3) providing recommendations on professional
24    continuing educational materials and opportunities that
25    specifically focus on tickborne Lyme disease prevention,
26    protection, and treatment; and

 

 

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1        (4) assisting the Department in establishing policies,
2    procedures, techniques, and criteria for the collection,
3    maintenance, exchange, and sharing of medical information
4    on tickborne Lyme disease, and identifying persons or
5    entities with tickborne Lyme disease expertise to
6    collaborate with Department in tickborne Lyme disease
7    diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.
8(Source: P.A. 100-1137, eff. 1-1-19; 101-606, eff.
912-13-19.)".