The Catskill Chronicle

NEW YORK STATE (June 18, 2014) – US Congressman Chris Gibson (NY-19) called on the New York State Senate to act on the legislation recently passed unanimously in the New York State Assembly. That legislation allows for medical treatment for chronic Lyme suffers, a critical gap in current Lyme Disease treatment.

"All across Upstate New York, we have constituents suffering from chronic Lyme who need immediate relief. While certainly we have much more to learn about tickborne diseases, and I am working aggressively in Congress to bring more resources and policy changes to do just that, we can take action now in New York State to bring some help to chronic suffers and their families. The New York State Senate should act on the Assembly-passed bill immediately," said Congressman Gibson.

Congressman Gibson most recently authored H.R. 4701, the Vector-Borne Disease Research Transparency and Accountability Act of 2014. The bipartisan legislation requires the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to audit available research on vector-borne diseases including Lyme disease, forming at least two working groups on high-incidence diseases to develop a scientific framework on how to move forward to fill gaps in research and patient care.

The working groups would include relevant federal officials, non-federal physicians who treat Lyme, non-federal scientists, researchers, members of the patient community, and additional members appointed by Congress to ensure a diversity of perspectives and balanced representation.

In addition, Congressman Gibson is a cosponsor on additional Lyme legislation in the House of Representatives and has fought successfully for funding on tickborne illnesses.