Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media state Sen. George Amedore announced May 16, Senate passage of legislation intended to fight Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. The Rotterdam Republican is a member of the Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Committee. The purpose of the bills is to increase awareness and prevention, and to improve diagnosis and treatment of the diseases. The senate also approved a resolution designating May 2018, Lyme Disease Awareness Month statewide. “The bills we passed today build on the historic $1 million investment in this year’s budget for Lyme education, prevention and research that was championed by the Senate Task Force, and will help us tackle this epidemic that is so prevalent in our communities,” Amedore said. New York state has the third highest number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bills are now in the hands of the state Assembly. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.