HR-10233-119
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sponsored by Joe Neguse (D-CO)
What it does
This bill would reauthorize the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (MASH) grant program under the Public Health Service Act for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, at up to $100 million per year. It would let HHS consider new mosquito-control technologies when awarding grants, allow grant recipients to spend up to 5% of funds on training and continuing education, and direct HHS to plan for stockpiling vector-borne disease control supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile.
Who benefits
State, local, and tribal public health departments that receive MASH grants for mosquito surveillance and control; public health entomologists and vector-control workers who could receive additional training funding; residents of areas with mosquito-borne disease risk (e.g., West Nile virus, dengue, Zika); companies developing new vector-control technologies that could be funded under the "innovative technology" provision; and manufacturers of vector-control products who could benefit from stockpile purchase agreements.
Who is hurt
No group is significantly negatively affected; this is a routine reauthorization of an existing grant program. Taxpayers bear the cost of the up-to-$100-million annual appropriation, and jurisdictions that do not receive grants would not see the same benefits as funded areas.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus, dengue, and Zika pose ongoing public health risks that require sustained federal funding for surveillance and control, and that lapses in authorization (the prior version expired after fiscal year 2023) create gaps in state and local vector-control capacity. They contend that adding stockpile planning and allowing use of innovative technologies modernizes the program to respond faster to emerging threats like invasive mosquito species.
Opponents argue
Opponents, to the extent objections arise, argue that the program's roughly $100 million annual cost should be scrutinized for effectiveness before renewal, and that discretionary grant programs like this can favor jurisdictions with more grant-writing capacity over areas with greater actual need. They may also contend that stockpiling authority should include clearer reporting requirements to ensure funds are not wasted on unproven technologies.
Constitutional context
This bill raises no significant constitutional question beyond Congress's Article I, Section 8 Spending Clause authority to appropriate funds for public health grant programs.
Checks and balances
Congress authorizes and appropriates funding; the HHS Secretary, through CDC and ASPR, administers grants and stockpile decisions, with oversight through congressional appropriations and reporting requirements.
Historical precedent
This bill reauthorizes the existing MASH program originally established in 2019 legislation, which previously funded mosquito abatement grants through fiscal year 2023.