Florida’s two U.S. senators–Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott–are backing the “Strengthening Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (SMASH) 2.0 Act” from U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.
The bill will “reauthorize critical public health tools that support states and localities in their mosquito surveillance and control efforts” and backers made the case for it this week.
“As mosquito-borne illness continues to be a significant public health issue in Florida, with a recent malaria outbreak in the state, it is more important than ever to ensure that mosquito abatement and surveillance programs continue,” Rubio’s office noted.
“One of the best parts about living in Maine is being able to spend time outdoors, but the threat of dangerous illnesses from mosquito bites is becoming a real concern. We must continue to provide states with the necessary tools to keep their residents, visitors, and everyone trying to enjoy the great outdoors from these ‘invisible’ threats. While the original SMASH Act has improved our response efforts at the national and state level, our detection and control tactics need to continuously evolve. I want to thank my colleagues for joining me in this fight against this harmful pest wreaking havoc in all of our backyards,” said King.
“The threat of mosquito-borne illness is a concern for Florida, Puerto Rico, and other parts of our country. We must take proactive measures to ensure the safety and health of all Americans. States and localities must have the tools they need to combat illnesses spread by mosquitoes. This bill is another step toward keeping Floridians and tourists safe,” said Rubio.
“I’m proud to join my colleagues in this bill to strengthen the CDC’s efforts to control mosquito-borne diseases and ensure our state and local governments have the resources they need to combat dangerous illnesses. This is a good step to help Floridians and visitors stay safe and healthy as they enjoy the warm summer months, beautiful beaches and great outdoors that Florida has to offer,” said Scott.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., is also co-sponsoring the bill.
“As temperatures increase, mosquito populations in many parts of the country are getting larger. With mosquito-linked illnesses on the rise, this bill would help fight the spread of these dangerous diseases so Minnesotans can continue to safely enjoy spending time outside exploring our parks, swimming and boating in our lakes, and hiking in our forests,” Smith said.
The bill “reauthorizes and makes targeted improvements to the lapsed Mosquito Abatement Safety and Health (MASH) Act, enacted in 2003 in response to the West Nile virus. It also authorizes increased support for state and local mosquito control work” and “increases opportunities for greater and more efficient development of new countermeasures and continues surveillance through the use of innovative and novel technology.”
King’s proposal was sent to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. So far, there is no companion measure in the U.S. House.
