Authorizes the commissioner of health to make grants for purposes of preventing transmission of tick-borne diseases on public lands frequented by humans; requires the commissioner to submit an annual report on the performance of programs funded by such grants.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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9282
IN SENATE
February 24, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to tick-borne disease
prevention grants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 2798 of the public health law, as added by chapter
2 550 of the laws of 1988, the opening paragraph as amended by section 35
3 of part A of chapter 58 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as
4 follows:
5 § 2798. Powers and duties. The tick-borne disease institute estab-
6 lished by section twenty-seven hundred ninety-seven of this article
7 shall have the following powers and duties:
8 1. to develop and promote investigations into the cause, prevention,
9 detection, spread, methods of treatment, and cure of tick-borne
10 diseases; [and]
11 2. to develop and promote an outreach campaign directed toward target-
12 ed high-risk populations to provide coordinated information regarding
13 the cause, prevention, detection, and treatment of tick-borne
14 disease[.]; and
15 3. to provide grants for purposes of tick-borne disease prevention
16 pursuant to section twenty-seven hundred ninety-nine of this article.
17 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2799 to
18 read as follows:
19 § 2799. Tick-borne disease prevention grants. 1. The commissioner, in
20 consultation with the department of environmental conservation and the
21 department of parks, recreation and historic preservation, is hereby
22 authorized to make grants within the amounts appropriated for purposes
23 of preventing transmission of tick-borne diseases on public land
24 frequented by humans, including but not limited to state parks or
25 trails.
26 2. The commissioner shall give notice and provide opportunity to
27 submit applications for grants under this section. In order to be
28 considered for such grants, applicants shall demonstrate evidence of:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14381-01-6
S. 9282 2
1 (a) effectiveness in reducing prevalence and spread of tick-borne
2 diseases;
3 (b) human and animal safety, as evidenced by clinical documentation;
4 (c) minimal invasiveness in the natural environment; and
5 (d) cost effectiveness.
6 3. The commissioner shall annually submit a report to the governor,
7 the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the
8 senate, the speaker of the assembly, and the minority leader of the
9 assembly, regarding the performance of programs funded by grants made
10 pursuant to this section. Such reports shall also be made publicly
11 available on the department's website.
12 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
