[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 707 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]


        S.707

                       One Hundred Ninth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
             the third day of January, two thousand and six


                                 An Act


 
 To reduce preterm labor and delivery and the risk of pregnancy-related 
    deaths and complications due to pregnancy, and to reduce infant 
                    mortality caused by prematurity.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prematurity Research Expansion and 
Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act'' or the ``PREEMIE 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    It is the purpose of this Act to--
        (1) reduce rates of preterm labor and delivery;
        (2) work toward an evidence-based standard of care for pregnant 
    women at risk of preterm labor or other serious complications, and 
    for infants born preterm and at a low birthweight; and
        (3) reduce infant mortality and disabilities caused by 
    prematurity.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH RELATING TO PRETERM LABOR AND DELIVERY AND THE CARE, 
              TREATMENT, AND OUTCOMES OF PRETERM AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT 
              INFANTS.

    (a) General Expansion of CDC Research.--Section 301 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
    ``(e) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, shall expand, intensify, and coordinate 
the activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with 
respect to preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality.''.
    (b) Studies on Relationship Between Prematurity and Birth 
Defects.--
        (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
    acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
    Prevention, shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, 
    conduct ongoing epidemiological studies on the relationship between 
    prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities.
        (2) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
    of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary of Health 
    and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for 
    Disease Control and Prevention, shall submit to the appropriate 
    committees of Congress reports concerning the progress and any 
    results of studies conducted under paragraph (1).
    (c) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey.--
        (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
    acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
    Prevention, shall establish systems for the collection of maternal-
    infant clinical and biomedical information, including electronic 
    health records, electronic databases, and biobanks, to link with 
    the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and other 
    epidemiological studies of prematurity in order to track pregnancy 
    outcomes and prevent preterm birth.
        (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
    appropriated to carry out paragraph (1) $3,000,000 for each of 
    fiscal years 2007 through 2011.
    (d) Evaluation of Existing Tools and Measures.--The Secretary of 
Health and Human Services shall review existing tools and measures to 
ensure that such tools and measures include information related to the 
known risk factors of low birth weight and preterm birth.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, except for subsection (c), 
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.

SEC. 4. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDUCATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES.

    Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280g et seq.) is amended--
        (1) by redesignating the second section 399O (relating to 
    grants to foster public health responses to domestic violence, 
    dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking) as section 399P; and
        (2) by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 399Q. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDUCATION AND SUPPORT 
              SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, directly or through the awarding 
of grants to public or private nonprofit entities, may conduct 
demonstration projects for the purpose of improving the provision of 
information on prematurity to health professionals and other health 
care providers and the public and improving the treatment and outcomes 
for babies born preterm.
    ``(b) Activities.--Activities to be carried out under the 
demonstration project under subsection (a) may include the 
establishment of--
        ``(1) programs to test and evaluate various strategies to 
    provide information and education to health professionals, other 
    health care providers, and the public concerning--
            ``(A) the signs of preterm labor, updated as new research 
        results become available;
            ``(B) the screening for and the treating of infections;
            ``(c) counseling on optimal weight and good nutrition, 
        including folic acid;
            ``(D) smoking cessation education and counseling;
            ``(E) stress management; and
            ``(F) appropriate prenatal care;
        ``(2) programs to improve the treatment and outcomes for babies 
    born premature, including the use of evidence-based standards of 
    care by health care professionals for pregnant women at risk of 
    preterm labor or other serious complications and for infants born 
    preterm and at a low birthweight;
        ``(3) programs to respond to the informational needs of 
    families during the stay of an infant in a neonatal intensive care 
    unit, during the transition of the infant to the home, and in the 
    event of a newborn death; and
        ``(4) such other programs as the Secretary determines 
    appropriate to achieve the purpose specified in subsection (a).
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2007 through 2011.''.

SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON PREMATURITY AND LOW 
              BIRTHWEIGHT.

    (a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to stimulate 
multidisciplinary research, scientific exchange, and collaboration 
among the agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services and 
to assist the Department in targeting efforts to achieve the greatest 
advances toward the goal of reducing prematurity and low birthweight.
    (b) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall establish an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and 
Low Birthweight (referred to in this section as the Council) to carry 
out the purpose of this section.
    (c) Composition.--The Council shall be composed of members to be 
appointed by the Secretary, including representatives of the agencies 
of the Department of Health and Human Services.
    (d) Activities.--The Council shall--
        (1) annually report to the Secretary of Health and Human 
    Services and Congress on current Departmental activities relating 
    to prematurity and low birthweight;
        (2) carry out other activities determined appropriate by the 
    Secretary of Health and Human Services; and
        (3) oversee the coordination of the implementation of this Act.

SEC. 6. SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE ON PRETERM BIRTH.

    (a) Convening of Conference.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, shall 
convene a conference on preterm birth.
    (b) Purpose of Conference.--The purpose of the conference convened 
under subsection (a) shall be to--
        (1) increase awareness of preterm birth as a serious, common, 
    and costly public health problem in the United States;
        (2) review the findings and reports issued by the Interagency 
    Coordinating Council, key stakeholders, and any other relevant 
    entities; and
        (3) establish an agenda for activities in both the public and 
    private sectors that will speed the identification of, and 
    treatments for, the causes of and risk factors for preterm labor 
    and delivery.
    (c) Report.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
submit to the Congress and make available to the public a report on the 
agenda established under subsection (b)(3), including recommendations 
for activities in the public and private sectors that will speed the 
identification of, and treatments for, the causes of and risk factors 
for preterm labor and delivery.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section (other than subsection (c)) 
$125,000.

SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE OF CERTAIN HEAD START REGULATIONS.

    Section 1310.12(a) of title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(October 1, 2004) shall not be effective until June 30, 2007, or 60 
days after the date of the enactment of a statute that authorizes 
appropriations for fiscal year 2007 to carry out the Head Start Act, 
whichever date is earlier.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.