WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (SMASH) Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator King that will help give states and localities the tools they need to fight back against mosquitos and the viruses they spread. The bill was included within the larger Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPA) (S. 1379), and will now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“Mosquitos are not just an irritation – they are a long-term public health threat that can transmit dangerous and difficult-to-treat diseases,” Senator King said. “That is why it’s critical we act now, before these diseases begin to spread. Today’s passage of the SMASH Act is a forward-thinking step that will help save lives, and I’m excited to see this legislation signed into law as soon as possible.”

More specifically, the SMASH Act will reauthorize critical public health tools that support states and localities in their mosquito surveillance and control efforts, especially those linked to mosquitos that carry the Zika virus, and improve the nation’s preparedness for Zika and other mosquito-borne threats like West Nile virus, chikungunya, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (“triple-e”) virus.

Zika is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that is primarily transmitted to humans by the female yellow fever (A. aegypti) and Asian tiger (A. albopictus) mosquitos. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked the Zika virus to serious health conditions, including birth defects in infants such as microcephaly and other neurological disorders. The SMASH Act takes the following immediate steps to combat the threat of Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases:

• Strengthens our ability to respond to Zika by reauthorizing and improving mosquito control: The legislation reauthorizes and makes targeted improvements to the lapsed Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (MASH) Act, which was enacted in 2003 in response to the West Nile virus. SMASH also authorizes increased support for state and local mosquito control work – efforts that are critical for controlling and reducing the mosquitos that spread infectious diseases. Under the bill, up to $100 million in grants will be authorized each year in addition to matching funds to state and local governments.
• Improves public health preparedness through laboratory research: The legislation reauthorizes the Epidemiology Laboratory Capacity grants under the Public Health Service Act, which support state and local health departments in surveillance for, and response to, infectious diseases, including Zika. Laboratory capacity plays a pivotal role in preparation for and response to public health threats.

The legislation, which is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Patty Murray (D-Was.), has been endorsed by the National Pest Management Association, the American Mosquito Control Association, the Entomological Society of America, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. To read the complete text of the bill, S.849, click HERE.