Political Quotes

“I rise today with my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Tina Smith, to introduce the TICK Act. This stands for Ticks: Identify, Control, and Knockout Act. I would also like to recognize my colleague from Maine, Senator King, who is joining us as an original cosponsor. Our bipartisan legislation would provide local communities and States with the resources needed to help prevent, detect early, and treat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Tick-borne diseases like Lyme have become a major public health concern, with the incidence exploding over the past 15 years. The number of Americans with tick-borne diseases has been rising at an alarming rate. In 2003, Lyme disease infected approximately 30,000 Americans. Last year there were an estimated 450,000 cases--a staggering 1,400-percent increase. In Maine, last year alone, there were 2,000 new cases of Lyme disease. That is a sharp increase from the 752 cases in 2010. Other tick-borne diseases are also on the rise. Anaplasmosis, for example, has more than tripled. Far too many Americans with Lyme disease experience a complex diagnostic odyssey that takes months or even years. One of my constituents, Paula Jackson Jones, from Damariscotta, ME, shared with me her harrowing tale that took 2 years, scores of tests, and 23 different physicians before she finally received the correct diagnosis that she had Lyme disease. Her journey started one afternoon 10 years ago after raking leaves in her backyard.…”