New York K 1123: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2026, as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
K01123 Summary:

BILL NOK01123 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORBarrett

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSRAngelino, Bailey, Beephan, Blankenbush, Brabenec, Brown K, Buttenschon, Cook, DeStefano, Durso,
 Fitzpatrick, Gallahan, Glick, Griffin, Hawley, Hunter, Hyndman, Jensen, Kelles, Lunsford, Lupardo,
 Magnarelli, McDonald, McMahon, Miller, Moreno, Santabarbara, Sayegh, Schiavoni, Shimsky, Simon,
 Simpson, Slater, Smith, Smullen, Tague, Walsh, Woerner

&nbsp

&nbsp

Go to top K01123 Actions:

BILL NOK01123 

&nbsp

03/31/2026referred to calendar

04/01/2026adopted

Go to topK01123 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topK01123 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topK01123 Text:

Assembly Resolution No. 1123

BY: M. of A. Barrett

 MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
 April 2026, as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the
 State of New York

 WHEREAS, The health and well-being of the citizens of the State of
New York are of paramount importance to this Legislative Body; and

 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is a common but frequently misunderstood
illness that, if not caught early and treated properly, can cause
serious health problems; and

 WHEREAS, According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health, Lyme
disease was identified and named in 1977, when arthritis was observed in
a cluster of children in and around Lyme, Connecticut; and

 WHEREAS, The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
designated Lyme disease as a nationally notifiable disease in January of
1991; and

 WHEREAS, Lyme disease, found in approximately 80 countries
worldwide, is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is
transmitted to humans and animals through the bite of an infected black
legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, commonly called the deer tick; and

 WHEREAS, There are more than a dozen tick-borne illnesses in the
United States, in addition to Lyme disease; one tick may carry more than
one disease resulting in people receiving more than one "co-infection"
from a single tick bite; and

 WHEREAS, It is difficult to diagnose co-infections because symptoms
are very common, but co-infections generally result in a more severe
illness, with more symptoms and a longer recovery period; and

 WHEREAS, Those with Lyme and other tick borne diseases can present
symptoms that mimic and can sometimes be misdiagnosed as mental illness,
depression, nutritional deficiencies or Alzheimer's disease; and

 WHEREAS, Infected ticks normally live on deer and mice and the
majority of tick bites occur in the summer months when ticks are most
active, and when more people are enjoying the outdoors; and

 WHEREAS, According to the CDC, Lyme disease is found most frequently
in the upper Midwest and Northeast United States; in 2023, 70% of Lyme
disease cases were reported from nine states: Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, and Vermont; and

 WHEREAS, In 2023, the federal CDC estimated that 476,000 people are
diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year while only 89,000 cases
of the disease were actually reported; and

 WHEREAS, Lyme disease became reportable in New York State in 1986
and is the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the state, with
over 22,000 cases reported to the CDC in 2023; and

 WHEREAS, Over a 13 year period, Lyme disease was the listed cause of
death of nine New York residents outside of New York City, with five
victims from the mid-Hudson Valley region; and

 WHEREAS, Lyme disease is hard to diagnose because the most common
sign individuals and doctors look for when determining if one contracted
Lyme disease is a red bulls eye rash surrounding the tick bite
("erythema migrans"); however, this rash does not appear in a quarter of
Lyme disease cases; the other indications of this disease are common
flu-like symptoms and joint pain, which often lead to misdiagnosis; and

 WHEREAS, With the arrival of Spring, more people will enjoy the
outdoors and come into contact with ticks; the observance of Lyme
Disease Awareness Month provides an opportunity for the State of New
York to focus on and bring awareness of Lyme disease and other
tick-borne diseases to its citizens; and

 WHEREAS, Lyme