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NACo I Issues Page 1 of 3 NACo Legislative Bulletin Executive Director: Larry Naake Legislative Director: Edwin Rosado October 10, 2003 A 70 LCd/OTc` How many cases of West: Nile are in your COUld? ~/Fu/~n/d~t~?el~§~:S.H. Act:!! NACo encourages County Officials to contact your Senators and ask them to sign the letter below. Action Needed! County governments are responsible for mosquito eradication and control. The federal government has recognized this responsibility and has worked with counties to pass the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health Act (M.A.S.H, Act) which President Bush signed into law on August 15, 2003. This legislation, through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), AUTHORIZES a matching federal grant of $100,000 per fiscal year to an eligible county to fight the West Nile virus. To date, the states most affected by West Nile are: Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming, with several others following closely. The following link is a CDC chart that describes the number of human cases/deaths associated with the West Nile virus so far this year. http.~//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount03.htm Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is circulating a letter to conferees on the Labor/Health and Human Services/Education Appropriations bill encouraging them to FULLY FUND this authorization. Current signatures include: Senators Cantwell (Wash.), Daschle (S.D.), Johnson (S.D.), Durbin (III.), Schumer (N.Y.), Breaux (La.), Feinstein (Calif.), Jack Reed (R.I.), and Ben Nelson (Neb.). Please call your Senators and encourage them to sign the letter! For additional information or comments, please contact Jennifer Myers at 202-942-4230 or jmyers@naco.org Here is the letter: September 30, 2003 Dear Conferee: As you begin consideration of the FY04 Labor/HHS Appropriations Conference Report, we respectfully request that you consider fully funding S.1015, the Mosquito Abatement for Safety and Health (MASH) Act. This law, which President Bush signed on August 15, 2003, provides $100 million in much needed assistance to States and local jurisdictions for mosquito control. In order to effectively combat West Nile Virus (WNV), in addition to funding mosquito abatement procedures under MASH, we would also recommend that you provide additional funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under its existing authorities to address the WNV threat. These additional funds will allow CDC to provide states and localities with essential resources to conduct public health surveillance, prevention and education activities regarding WNV. Mosquito-borne diseases represent one of the most serious and preventable public health threats for many of our states and localities. Over the past several years, the outbreak of the West Nile Virus in the United States has caused a significant drain to state and county budgets that are unaccustomed to dealing with this threat. Since 1999 states and localities across the country have been devoting increasingly limited resources to the eradication and control of mosquito populations in an effort to prevent the further spread of the West Nile Virus. Given the current budget woes of many of these state and local economies, it is imperative that the federal government carry out its http://www.naco.org/PrinterTemplate.c fm? Section=Issues&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDispl... 12/8/2003