pmerv
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1504
posted
Date of Hearing: January 10, 2006
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH Wilma Chan, Chair AB 1226 (Yee) - As Amended: January 4, 2006
SUBJECT : Lyme disease.
SUMMARY : Establishes the Lyme Disease Advisory Committee Vitalization Act, which expands the membership of the Lyme Disease Advisory Committee (Committee) and the duties of the Department of Health Services (DHS) relating to Lyme disease. Specifically, this bill :
1)Expands the membership of the Committee and requires, beginning January 1, 2007, that members of the Committee meet certain expertise requirements, as specified.
2)Expands the duties of DHS to include the following:
a) Work in close collaboration with the Committee, and seek the advice of the Committee before taking any action different from an action recommended by the Committee;
b) Provide broad, inclusive information regarding the common symptoms of Lyme disease, and all medically viable treatments, as specified, to health care providers in affected areas;
c) Develop recommendations on the use of protective clothing for state employees whose worksite is a likely occupational hazard for exposure to Lyme disease;
d) Consider the potential of new diagnostic and treatment procedures, as specified;
e) Adopt diagnostic or treatment approaches that reflect all medically viable treatment options, but are not rigid diagnostic or treatment limitations;
f) Encourage the conduct of research and its funding to identify the risk of Lyme disease in collaboration with specified entities; and,
g) Encourage the use of integrated pest management to
AB 1226 Page 2
control and reduce tick populations.
3)Requires that members of the Committee serve without compensation, but, commencing January 1, 2007, may be reimbursed for travel and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties on the committee. Prohibits during the 2006 calendar year, annual travel expense reimbursement to all committee members when essential to the attendance from exceeding $5,000.
4)Requires the Committee to meet at least three times a year and specifies other meeting requirements for the Committee. Allows the formation of subcommittees within the Committee to propose solutions, as specified.
5)Allows the Committee to advise DHS on a clinical reporting system distinct from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance system, to overcome the gross underreporting of Lyme disease.
6)Makes findings and declarations regarding the Lyme Disease Advisory Committee and the importance of preventing Lyme disease.
7)Expands the existing law definition of Lyme disease to include a coinfection with tick-born diseases such as babesiosis, or ehrlichiosis.
8)Defines "medically viable" as a mode of treatment recognized by a substantial part of the medical profession to be within the scope of current, acceptable standards, including the longer term treatment approach reflected in the treatment guidelines of the International Lyme Disease and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), ILADS evidence-based guidelines for the management of Lyme disease.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes and defines the membership of the Committee.
2)Directs the Committee to provide information and educational materials on Lyme disease to the medical community and general public.
3)Requires the Committee to make recommendations to DHS
AB 1226 Page 3
regarding at risk populations and how best to provide outreach information.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown.
COMMENTS :
1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL . According to the California Lyme Disease Association, the sponsor of this bill, Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed and untreated because of insufficient information and scientific research. The sponsor states this measure is necessary to ensure that the Committee has the leadership necessary to continue to address the public health epidemic of Lyme disease.
2)LYME DISEASE. Lyme disease is a multisystem (nervous, musculoskeletal, and cardiac), multistage, inflammatory illness transmitted through the bite of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacteria. CDC states that diagnosis of Lyme disease is generally based on clinical findings of recognizable symptoms including a characteristic rash and "nonspecific symptoms" including fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, myalgia, and arthralgia.
According to the CDC, Lyme disease is the leading cause of vector-borne infectious illness in the United States, with about 15,000 cases reported annually. CDC also states that the disease is greatly underreported. In its recent publication, Recommendations for the Use Lyme Disease Vaccine: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice, CDC reports that Lyme disease can be treated effectively with oral antibiotics in its early stages, but can become pronounced and require more intensive therapy if left untreated.
3)PREVIOUS LEGISLATION .
a) SB 2097 (Committee on Health and Human Services), of 2002, is similar to the provisions of this bill and would have expanded the membership of the Committee and the duties of DHS relating to Lyme disease, and would have created the Lyme Disease Reporting Committee. In his veto message, then Governor Davis indicated:
Although the bill's attempt to improve information and
AB 1226 Page 4
understanding about Lyme disease is meritorious, it would grow the size of State government and create a General Fund pressure during a period of limited resources and uncertain future economic conditions. In order to maintain existing core State services already provided by the DHS, it is necessary at this time to restrain any discretionary new programs. Even more significantly, this bill would inappropriately change the role of the advisory committee from an advisory role into one that has veto power over Lyme-disease-related issues instead of the health care professionals in the department.
b) AB 2125 (Negrete McLeod), Chapter 876, Statutes of 2002, created a rebuttable presumption under the Workers' Compensation Law for Lyme Disease, where Lyme disease is presumed to be compensable if the disease develops or manifests itself during a period of service by specified peace officers and members of the California Conservation Corps unless contrary evidence is presented.
c) SB 1115 (Chesbro), Chapter 668, Statutes of 1999, creates the Committee within DHS to make recommendations regarding Lyme disease.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Lyme Disease Association (sponsor)
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Rosielyn Pulmano / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
-------------------- Phyllis Mervine LymeDisease.org Posts: 1808 | From Ukiah, California, USA | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
This is great, Phyllis! What is the next step? Ann - OH
posted
Terrific.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
| IP: Logged |
pmerv
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1504
posted
Ann, the next step, now that it has passed the Senate Health Committee, is Appropriations. I suspect some opposition will come out of the woodwork and there will undoubtedly be some amendments.
-------------------- Phyllis Mervine LymeDisease.org Posts: 1808 | From Ukiah, California, USA | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
valymemom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7076
posted
How marvelous for the rest of the country if CA can lead with this legislation!
You have been working hard for all of us.
Posts: 1240 | From Centreville,VA | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic