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S 2660Public Health

Health and Safety - Tick Control

This bill creates a state program to control ticks on public lands and offer advice to private landowners to prevent disease.

Introduced
Population
Affected
72
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee Senate Environment & Agriculture

Plain-English Summary

This legislation authorizes the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to implement a tick control program to prevent tick-borne diseases. The bill allows the DEM to enter public lands to survey tick populations, use pesticides or biological controls, and manage animal hosts. It requires the DEM to develop a statewide pest management strategy for public lands. For private property, the DEM can only enter with the owner's written permission to conduct research or offer advice on reducing ticks; it cannot force control measures on private land.

For younger readers

This new law helps the state fight ticks, which are tiny bugs that can make people sick. It lets the environmental department go into parks and other public places to look for ticks and get rid of them. They might use special sprays or other ways to stop the ticks from growing. If someone owns a house or private land, the department can only go there if the owner says it is okay, just to look around and give advice on how to stay safe from ticks.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Hikers and CampersPublic Land ManagersPrivate Property OwnersDepartment of Environmental ManagementWildlife Enthusiasts
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Promotes public health by actively addressing the spread of tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, which disproportionately affects outdoor workers and community members using public spaces.
  • Mandates that control actions be performed in an environmentally responsible manner to protect flora and fauna, ensuring that ecological balance is considered alongside pest management.
  • Expands government services to manage public lands effectively, ensuring that state and municipal properties are safe, accessible, and usable for the entire community.
  • Permits the use of acaricides (pesticides) on public lands, which raises concerns about potential chemical runoff and long-term environmental toxicity despite the mandate for responsible application.
  • Authorizes the "management of tick-host animal populations," which could lead to the culling or displacement of wildlife such as deer, raising ethical concerns regarding animal welfare.
  • Lacks specific funding mechanisms or budget appropriations, potentially diverting resources from other critical environmental or social programs within the Department of Environmental Management.
For Conservatives
  • Explicitly protects private property rights by requiring written approval from owners before the department can enter private land for research or advice, ensuring no government overreach onto private homes.
  • Addresses a significant public health threat and nuisance, potentially reducing healthcare costs associated with tick-borne illnesses through proactive management.
  • Allows for the management of tick-host animal populations, which may support wildlife management practices such as controlling overpopulated deer herds that damage property.
  • Expands the size and scope of the Department of Environmental Management, granting more power to unelected bureaucrats to regulate public lands.
  • Creates a new government program without a specified price tag, likely leading to increased taxpayer costs to fund surveys, chemicals, and personnel.
  • Granting the state power to "manage" vegetation and animals on municipal lands could override local control and decision-making regarding town-owned properties.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 36 additions

SECTION 1. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled "HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 23-7.2-1. Definitions. As used in this chapter:

(1) “Department” means the department of environmental management.

(2) “Director” means the director of the department of environmental management.

(3) “Public lands” includes federal, state, municipal, or other government-owned lands. 23-7.2-2. Tick control.

(a) To further the state’s interest in tick control for the prevention or reduction of tick-borne diseases, the department shall take all necessary and appropriate actions as follows:

(1) Enter upon public lands for the purposes of determining the nature and extent of tick- infested areas and the presence of tick-host animals or tick-inhabited vegetation, taking control actions as warranted, and providing relevant educational programs.

(i) Control actions on public lands may include:

(A) Selective acaricide use;

(B) Use of biological controls, management of tick-host animal populations or tick- inhabited vegetation, or other appropriate methods; and

(C) Coordinate all tick-related survey or control work on public lands with the appropriate public lands owner or manager.

(2) When performing control actions on public lands, the department shall:

(i) Perform all control actions in an environmentally responsible manner and, to the extent practicable, avoid adversely affecting flora and fauna;

(ii) Perform all control actions only after any required federal or state permits have been obtained; and

(iii) Educate public lands owners or managers about:

(A) Tick-prone habitats on their lands; and

(B) Tick control or habitat management practices that may assist in reducing tick populations on public lands.

(b) On written approval by private property owner(s) or their authorized representatives, the department may enter upon private property for any of the following purposes:

(i) Undertaking department-conducted, tick-related scientific research or tick surveys;

(ii) Identifying tick-prone habitats; and

(iii) Advising private property owners as to proper tick control or habitat management measures that may reduce tick populations on their lands.

(c) The department shall develop and implement a statewide integrated pest management strategy for tick control on public lands.

(d) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement and effectuate a strategy for tick control on public lands.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.