Relates to including the Asian longhorned tick and lone star tick on the invasive species list

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Sam Berger and 1 co-sponsor

Adds Asian longhorned tick and lone star tick to the state's invasive list, enabling regulation, monitoring, and control to protect public health, agriculture, and ecosystems.

REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Basic information

Bill number: A 7606

Title: Relates to including the Asian longhorned tick and lone star tick on the invasive species list

Status: Referred to Environmental Conservation

Introduced: April 1, 2025

Sponsors: Primary — Rebecca Kassay; Cosponsor — Sam Berger

Related bills: S 1114 (companion), S 7852 (prior-session)

Purpose and intent

A 7606 would add two tick species—the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum)—to the state’s invasive species list. The goal is to strengthen regulatory authority and public-health, agricultural, and ecological responses by explicitly recognizing these ticks as invasive. By including them on the invasive species list, the bill aims to support coordinated management, monitoring, and control measures to limit spread and associated impacts.

Key provisions (as suggested by the bill’s title and normal scope of invasive-species statutes)

Amendment to existing law: The bill would amend the state’s environmental conservation statutes to add both tick species to the list of invasive organisms.

Regulatory authority: Likely to authorize regulatory actions related to these species, which may include restrictions or prohibitions on importation, sale, possession, transport, or release.

Management and control: Potential duties for state agencies to develop or enforce management, containment, monitoring, or eradication activities; coordination with public health, agriculture, and wildlife agencies.

Quarantine and reporting: Possible establishment of quarantine zones or reporting requirements for suspected infestations and for entities involved with commerce, animal health, or biosecurity.

Public-health and agricultural impact: Provisions may address disease risk mitigation and protections for livestock, crops, and humans.

Note: The exact statutory text is not provided here; the above reflects typical provisions that accompany adding species to an invasive-list framework.

Who would be affected

Businesses and producers: Importers, distributors, sellers, and transporters of ticks or tick-infested products.

Public agencies: Environmental conservation, agriculture, public health, and law enforcement entities responsible for enforcement and response.

Farmers and livestock interests: Measures aimed at reducing tick-borne disease risk and livestock impacts.

Researchers and pest-control professionals: Compliance with reporting, surveillance, and control requirements.

Procedural timeline and next steps

The bill has been introduced and referred to Environmental Conservation on April 1, 2025. No further actions are listed in the provided record.

Companion and related measures: A companion bill exists (S 1114); other related bill in a prior session (S 7852), suggesting cross-chamber interest and potential similar provisions.

Summary takeaway

A 7606 seeks to formalize regulatory tools to manage two prominent invasive tick species by placing them on the state invasive-species list. If enacted, it would enable targeted regulatory and management actions to protect public health, agriculture, and ecosystems, with oversight by the Environmental Conservation Committee and related state agencies. The bill is currently in early-stage consideration, with companion measures in other legislative tracks.

Bill