When the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group last met on Oct. 24-25, we all thought that was their final meeting before submitting their Report to Congress in December and shutting down for good.

(The 21st Century Cures Act, which formed the panel, only authorized it through the end of 2022.)

However, they weren’t quite done, and now an additional meeting has been set for Nov. 21.

Because the TBDWG was formed as a Federal Advisory Committee, they are required to have open meetings and allow the public to give comments.

Thus, people who would like to deliver public comments–either verbally via Zoom or written–have one more opportunity to do so. Here are instructions from the website of the Department of Health and Human Services:

Public Comment – Information and Instructions

The public will have an opportunity to present their views to the Working Group by sharing their views through verbal public comment or written public comment. Comments should be pertinent to the meeting discussion.

Verbal Public Comment

Verbal remarks will be provided by the public through Zoom during the live webcast and become part of the archived recording and meeting summary posted on this website.

• Date and time: Monday November 21, 2022 (Exact time forthcoming)

To sign-up for verbal public comment:

• Submit an email to tickbornedisease@hhs.gov
• Use the email subject line: Verbal Public Comment – November 21, 2022
• Deadline: All sign-up requests must be received by 11:59 p.m., ET, Sunday, November 13

Next steps: If more requests to provide verbal public comment are received than can be accommodated during this meeting, preference will be given to those who have not addressed the committee in the 2021-2022 TBDWG cycle. The remaining speakers will be randomly selected. You will receive notification on the status of your request on Monday, November 14.

Written public comments are shared with Working Group members and posted on this webpage and made accessible to the public in advance of the meeting.

To submit a written public comment:

• Submit an email to tickbornedisease@hhs.gov
• Use the email subject line: Written Public Comment – November 21, 2022 Meeting
• Provide your preferred identification: Tell us how you prefer to be identified with your comment. We cannot post your comment without this information. For example, you may choose to:
  • Use your name
  • Be listed as anonymous
  • Include your city and/or state
  • Provide comments on behalf of an organization (please include the organization’s full name)
• Deadline: All sign-up requests must be received by 11:59 p.m., ET, Sunday, November 13.

Click here for more details about submitting your comments.