[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 707 Referred in House (RFH)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 707


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2006

            Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 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 NIH Research.--Part B of title IV of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

``SEC. 409J. EXPANSION AND COORDINATION OF RESEARCH RELATING TO PRETERM 
              LABOR AND DELIVERY AND INFANT MORTALITY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
NIH, shall expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the 
National Institutes of Health with respect to research on the causes of 
preterm labor and delivery, infant mortality, and improving the care 
and treatment of preterm and low birthweight infants.
    ``(b) Authorization of Research Networks.--There shall be 
established within the National Institutes of Health a multi-center 
clinical program (that shall be initially established utilizing 
existing networks) designed to--
            ``(1) investigate problems in clinical obstetrics, 
        particularly those related to prevention of low birth weight, 
        prematurity, and medical problems of pregnancy;
            ``(2) improve the care and outcomes of neonates, especially 
        very-low-birth weight infants; and
            ``(3) enhance the understanding of DNA and proteins as they 
        relate to the underlying processes that lead to preterm birth 
        to aid in formulating more effective interventions to prevent 
        preterm birth.''.
    (b) 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.''.
    (c) 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).
    (d) 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.
    (e) 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 some 
of the known risk factors of low birth weight and preterm birth.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, except for subsection (d), 
$10,000,000 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 to improve the provision of information on 
prematurity to health professionals and other health care providers and 
the public and to improve 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 programs--
            ``(1) 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) 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; and
            ``(3) 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.
    ``(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, shall convene a conference on 
preterm birth.
    (b) Purposes 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 entity; and
            (3) establish an agenda, and report such agenda to 
        Congress, for activities in both the public and private sectors 
        that will speed the identification of, and treatments for, the 
        causes of preterm labor and delivery.
    (c) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $1,000,000.

            Passed the Senate August 1, 2006.

            Attest:

                                             EMILY J. REYNOLDS,

                                                             Secretary.