The creation of a tax form checkoff box that could send more aid and resources to Lyme and tick-borne illness research and prevention has bipartisan backing in the state Senate as lawmakers seek to tackle the growing problem. 

Republican state Sen. Sue Serino and Democratic Sen. Peter Harckham are both pushing for the legislation as New York is home to the second-most number of confirmed Lyme disease cases in the country. 

The legislation would allow taxpayers to voluntarily send a nominal amount of money to research, education and prevention efforts for Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses. 

“We need to increase funding for research, education and prevention relating to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, and I thank my colleague Senator Serino for her resolute partnership on this issue,” said Harckham. “Providing taxpayers with an opportunity to join the fight against these diseases is a great initiative, and I am confident our legislation will once again be met with approval.”

Federal health officials have also estimated there are nearly 500,000 new cases of Lyme in the U.S. each making, it the third-most common bacterial infection in the country. But the disease can be often misdiagnosed through inaccurate testing and an accurate number of cases remains unclear. 

Lyme disease has spread in parts of New York like the Hudson Valley and on Long Island, but in recent years has turned into a statewide concern as numbers have risen in nearly every region of the state. 

“With New Yorkers taking to the outdoors in record numbers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, never has it been more important to make substantive investments in research, education, and prevention initiatives to help stop the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases,” Serino said.