PRINTER'S NO. 466
No. 451 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, HOLL, SALVATORE, DAWIDA, ANDREZESKI AND JONES, FEBRUARY 6, 1989
REFERRED TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, FEBRUARY 6, 1989
AN ACT 1 Providing for control and treatment of Lyme disease; and making 2 appropriations. 3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 4 hereby enacts as follows: 5 Section 1. Short title. 6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Lyme Disease 7 Prevention and Control Act. 8 Section 2. Purpose. 9 The General Assembly finds that Lyme disease poses a serious 10 threat to the health and welfare of the people of this 11 Commonwealth. It is the intent of this act to provide research 12 for the treatment of Lyme disease and to create greater public 13 awareness of the dangers of the disease and available preventive 14 measures. 15 Section 3. Reporting. 16 Every physician who treats or examines any person who is 17 suffering from or who is suspected of having Lyme disease shall
1 make a prompt report of the disease to the local board of health 2 or to the Department of Health. 3 Section 4. Powers and duties. 4 (a) Department of Health.--The Department of Health shall 5 have the following powers and duties: 6 (1) Promulgate regulations to enforce the requirements 7 of this act. 8 (2) Identify appropriate medical or other facilities to 9 conduct research for the treatment or prevention of Lyme 10 disease. 11 (3) Develop a program of general public information and 12 education regarding Lyme disease, including programs for 13 secondary schools. 14 (4) Establish an obstetrics registry to coordinate the 15 collection of information from pregnant women who have 16 contracted Lyme disease and any neonatal effects. 17 (b) Department of Education.--The Department of Education 18 shall cooperate with the Department of Health to develop a 19 program of education on Lyme disease for secondary schools in 20 this Commonwealth. 21 Section 5. Appropriations. 22 (a) Research.--The sum of $100,000, or as much thereof as 23 may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of 24 Health to fund research for the study, treatment or prevention 25 of Lyme disease, including vector control or eradication and 26 related field studies. 27 (b) Education.--The sum of $100,000, or as much thereof as 28 may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of 29 Health for the development of the program of public information 30 and education provided for in this act. 19890S0451B0466 - 2 -
1 (c) Secondary school.--The sum of $100,000, or as much 2 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the 3 Department of Education for the development of a program of 4 public information for secondary schools, as provided for in 5 this act. 6 Section 6. Effective date. 7 This act shall take effect immediately. A20L35JRW/19890S0451B0466 - 3 -