§ 958 — Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group

§ 958. Lyme and tick-borne diseases working group. 1. There is hereby\ncreated in the executive department a Lyme and tick-borne diseases\nworking group consisting of the:\n (a) commissioner of health;\n (b) commissioner of the office of mental health;\n (c) commissioner of environmental conservation;\n (d) superintendent of financial services, who shall serve ex officio\nand who may designate representatives to act on their behalf; and\n (e) six additional members to be appointed by the governor.\n 2. The governor shall also appoint eight members to the working group\non the recommendation of the legislative leaders as follows:\n (a) the temporary president of the senate shall recommend three\nmembers;\n (b) the speaker of the assembly shall recommend three members;\n (c) the minority leader of the senate shall recommend one member; and\n (d) the minority leader of the assembly shall recommend one member.\n 3. Members appointed to the working group shall include, but not be\nlimited to, at least one of each of the following, each of whom must\nhave experience working with issues related to Lyme and tick-borne\ndiseases:\n (a) an infectious disease specialist;\n (b) a general practitioner;\n (c) a mental health practitioner;\n (d) an entomologist;\n (e) an epidemiologist;\n (f) a representative of health insurance providers; and\n (g) a representative of a tick-borne disease advocacy organization.\n 4. The commissioner of health shall serve, ex officio, as the chair of\nthe working group, and the governor shall designate the vice chair of\nthe working group. In appointing members of the working group,\nappointing authorities shall ensure that such members, as a group,\nrepresent diverse scientific perspectives relevant to the duties of the\nworking group. The members of the working group, except those who serve\nex officio, shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses\nincurred in the performance of their duties under this article but shall\nreceive no additional compensation for services rendered pursuant to\nthis article.\n 5. The working group, on call of the chair, shall meet at least twice\neach year and at such other times as may be necessary. The working group\nmay establish quorum requirements and other rules and procedures\nregarding conduct of its meetings and other affairs.\n 6. The working group shall have the following powers and\nresponsibilities:\n (a) review current best practices for the diagnosis, treatment and\nprevention of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, as well as any reports or\nrecommendations from the twenty-first century workgroup for disease\nelimination and reduction, pursuant to section two hundred sixty-six of\nthe public health law;\n (b) provide recommendations including, but not limited to:\n (i) improvements to the delivery of care for patients and suspected\npatients of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, particularly those from\nendemic areas of the state;\n (ii) collaborations among county departments of health to promote\neffective strategies to combat Lyme and tick-borne diseases, including\nbest practices for prevention and reporting;\n (iii) interagency collaborations to streamline state efforts to combat\nthe spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases;\n (iv) identifying opportunities to collaborate with the federal\ngovernment, non-profit entities, or private organizations on projects\naddressing these diseases;\n (v) data collection and reporting requirements of Lyme and tick-borne\ndisease, including but not limited to, those for healthcare providers;\nand\n (vi) any other regulations or guidelines concerning Lyme and\ntick-borne diseases; and\n (c) prepare and issue a report on the working group's findings and\nrecommendations by May first, two thousand twenty-three to the governor,\nthe temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly.\n 7. If any appointments to the working group are not made by April\nfifteenth, two thousand nineteen, then the working group may proceed to\nmeet and fulfill its responsibilities, pursuant to paragraphs two and\nthree of this section, without such appointees.\n