S-5213-119
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sponsored by Angus King (I-ME)
What it does
This bill would reauthorize the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health program (Section 317S of the Public Health Service Act) with $100 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031. It would let the Secretary of Health and Human Services consider innovative technology in awarding grants, allow grant recipients to use up to 5% of funds for continuing education and training, and direct HHS to coordinate with the Strategic National Stockpile to prepare an emergency supply of vector-control products.
Who benefits
State and local health departments and mosquito control districts that receive federal grants, public health entomologists and technicians who gain training funds, manufacturers of vector-control products who may receive stockpile purchase contracts, and residents of areas with high mosquito-borne disease risk (e.g., Gulf Coast states, Florida, Texas) who benefit from surveillance and control efforts.
Who is hurt
No group is substantially harmed; federal taxpayers bear the modest cost of the $100 million annual appropriation. Regions with lower vector-borne disease risk may receive proportionally less benefit relative to their share of federal funding, and jurisdictions that do not apply for or win competitive grants would not see direct funding.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus, dengue, and Zika pose ongoing and growing public health risks, particularly as warming climates expand mosquito habitats into new regions. They contend the program has operated since its original authorization with demonstrated results, and that adding stockpile coordination and flexibility for innovative technology strengthens the nation's ability to respond quickly to disease outbreaks.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that federal grant programs of this kind often lack rigorous outcome measurement, making it difficult to verify that appropriated funds produce meaningful reductions in disease incidence relative to state and local efforts already underway. They contend that expanding the Strategic National Stockpile's mission to include vector-control products could stretch stockpile resources and management capacity that are already strained by other public health emergency priorities.
Constitutional context
Congress's authority to fund this program derives from the Spending Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1), which permits appropriations for the general welfare including public health programs; no coercive conditions are imposed on states, so the Medicaid-expansion coercion concerns raised in NFIB v. Sebelius (2012) do not apply here.
Checks and balances
Congress authorizes and appropriates funding while HHS retains discretion over grant criteria and stockpile management, with routine congressional oversight and reauthorization serving as the primary check.
Historical precedent
This is a reauthorization of the existing Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health program originally established by Congress, extending prior funding authority that expired after fiscal year 2023.