[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H9246-H9250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PREMATURITY RESEARCH EXPANSION AND EDUCATION FOR MOTHERS WHO DELIVER
INFANTS EARLY ACT
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the Senate bill (S. 707) 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, as
amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. 707
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. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
TITLE I--REDUCING PRETERM LABOR AND DELIVERY AND THE RISK OF PREGNANCY-
RELATED DEATHS AND COMPLICATIONS
Sec. 101. Purpose.
Sec. 102. Research relating to preterm labor and delivery and the care,
treatment, and outcomes of preterm and low birthweight
infants.
Sec. 103. Public and health care provider education and support
services.
Sec. 104. Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low
Birthweight.
Sec. 105. Surgeon general's conference on preterm birth.
TITLE II--CONTACT LENS CONSUMER PROTECTION
Sec. 201. Short title.
Sec. 202. Availability of contact lenses.
Sec. 203. Prescriber verification.
Sec. 204. FTC Studies.
Sec. 205. FDA consumer safety study.
TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 301. Effective date of certain Head Start regulations.
Sec. 302. Medicare Critical Access Hospital Designation.
TITLE I--REDUCING PRETERM LABOR AND DELIVERY AND THE RISK OF PREGNANCY-
RELATED DEATHS AND COMPLICATIONS
SEC. 101. PURPOSE.
It the purpose of this title 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. 102. 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
[[Page H9247]]
prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities.
(2) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this title, 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. 103. 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. 104. 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
title.
SEC. 105. SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE ON PRETERM BIRTH.
(a) Convening of Conference.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this title, 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.
TITLE II--CONTACT LENS CONSUMER PROTECTION
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Contact Lens Consumer
Protection Act''.
SEC. 202. AVAILABILITY OF CONTACT LENSES.
(a) Requirement for the Availability of Contact Lenses.--
The Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (15 U.S.C. 7601 et
seq.) is amended by inserting after section 7 (15 U.S.C.
7606) the following new section:
``SEC. 7A. REQUIREMENT FOR THE AVAILABILITY OF CONTACT
LENSES.
``(a) In General.--A manufacturer shall make any contact
lens the manufacturer produces, markets, distributes, or
sells available in a commercially reasonable and
nondiscriminatory manner to--
``(1) prescribers;
``(2) entities associated with prescribers; and
``(3) alternative channels of distribution.
``(b) Exclusion.--
``(1) In general.--For purposes of this section, the term
`contact lens' does not include lenses that are described in
paragraph (2).
``(2) Lenses described.--The lenses described in this
paragraph are--
``(A) rigid gas permeable lenses;
``(B) bitoric gas permeable lenses;
``(C) bifocal gas permeable lenses;
``(D) keratoconus lenses;
``(E) custom soft toric lenses; and
``(F) any other custom designed lenses that are
manufactured for an individual patient and are not mass
marketed or mass produced.
``(c) Definitions.--As used in this section:
``(1) Manufacturer.--The term `manufacturer' includes the
manufacturer and the parent company of the manufacturer, and
any subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, and assigns of the
manufacturer.
``(2) Alternative channels of distribution.--The term
`alternative channels of distribution' means any mail order
company, Internet retailer, pharmacy, buying club, department
store, or mass merchandise outlet, without regard to whether
the entity is associated with a prescriber, unless the entity
is a competitor.
``(3) Competitor.--The term `competitor' means an entity
that manufactures contact lenses and sells the lenses in
direct competition with another manufacturer.
``(d) Safe Harbor for Manufacturers.--Nothing in this
section shall be deemed to impose on a manufacturer an
obligation to--
``(1) sell to a competitor;
``(2) sell contact lenses to different contact lens
distributors or customers at the same price, consistent with
applicable Federal law;
``(3) open or maintain any account for a seller who is not
in substantial compliance with this Act;
``(4) decide whether to sell to a low volume account
directly or through a distributor; or
``(5) make available to sellers in all geographic areas
lenses that are being test marketed on a limited basis in one
geographic area.
``(e) Rulemaking.--The Federal Trade Commission shall
prescribe rules under section 8 to carry out this section.''.
(b) Deadline for Rules.--The first rules prescribed by the
Federal Trade Commission to carry out section 7A of the
Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act, as added by
subsection (a), shall take effect not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this title.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect when the rules required by subsection (b)
take effect.
SEC. 203. PRESCRIBER VERIFICATION.
(a) Telephone and Fax Service.--Section 4 of the Fairness
to Contact Lens Consumers Act (15 U.S.C. 7603) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following
new paragraph:
[[Page H9248]]
``(7) A telephone number and fax number for prescribers to
contact the seller regarding a verification request, as
required under subsection (h).'';
(2) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections
(g) and (I), respectively; and
(3) by inserting after subsection (g), as redesignated by
paragraph (2), the following new subsection:
``(h) Telephone and Fax Service for Verification
Responses.--
``(1) In general.--A seller of contact lenses who requests
verification of a contact lens prescription pursuant to
subsection (c) shall provide a telephone and fax service
operable during business hours that is dedicated to use by
prescribers responding to verification requests. The
telephone and fax service shall be maintained with a
sufficient number of working telephone lines and live
operators to enable ready access by prescribers. Such
telephone and fax service shall be toll-free, except as
provided pursuant to paragraph (2).
``(2) Rules.--In prescribing rules under section 8 to carry
out paragraph (1), the Federal Trade Commission shall
prescribe the following:
``(A) The maximum amount of time between the time when a
telephone call is placed and the time when the caller speaks
to a live operator to constitute ready access for
prescribers.
``(B) Exceptions to the requirement that a telephone and
fax service required to be provided by a seller under
paragraph (1) be provided on a toll-free basis, with such
exceptions to be determined based on the contact lens sales
volume of sellers and such other factors as the Commission
considers appropriate.''.
(b) Invalid Prescriptions.--Subsection (e) of such section
is amended to read as follows:
``(e) Invalid Prescriptions.--
``(1) Inaccurate prescriptions.--If a prescriber informs a
seller before the deadline under subsection (d)(3) that the
contact lens prescription is inaccurate--
``(A) neither the seller nor the prescriber shall fill the
prescription as submitted for verification;
``(B) the prescriber shall, as part of the prescriber's
response to the verification request, specify the basis for
the inaccuracy of the prescription and correct it; and
``(C) the seller, upon receipt of the corrected
prescription under subparagraph (B), may fill the
prescription as corrected.
``(2) Expired prescriptions.--If a prescriber informs a
seller before the deadline under subsection (d)(3) that the
contact lens prescription has expired--
``(A) neither the seller nor the prescriber shall fill the
prescription as submitted for verification;
``(B) the prescriber may authorize an extension of the
prescription if the extension is not contingent upon the
consumer purchasing the lenses from the prescriber or an
affiliated retailer; and
``(C) the seller, upon receipt of the extension of the
prescription under subparagraph (B), may fill the
prescription in accordance with the extension.
``(3) Otherwise invalid prescriptions.--If a prescriber
informs a seller before the deadline under subsection (d)(3)
that the contact lens prescription is invalid for a reason
other than a reason specified in paragraph (1) or (2)--
``(A) neither the seller nor the prescriber shall fill the
prescription as submitted for verification; and
``(B) the prescriber shall, as part of the prescriber's
response to the verification request, specify the basis for
the invalidity of the prescription; and
``(C) the seller, upon receipt of the corrected
prescription, may fill the prescription as corrected.''.
(c) Overfilling of Prescriptions.--Such section is further
amended by inserting after subsection (e), as amended by
subsection (b), the following new subsection:
``(f) Overfilling of Prescriptions.--
``(1) Limitation.--If a patient orders more contact lenses
than can be reasonably used during the period remaining on
the patient's prescription, the seller may fill the
prescription only to the extent of the quantity described in
paragraph (2), unless the prescription is otherwise verified
in accordance with section 4(d).
``(2) Maximum quantity.--The quantity referred to in
paragraph (1) is the greater of--
``(A) the quantity that can be reasonably used during the
period remaining on the patient's prescription; or
``(B) the minimum number of lenses available for sale
(based on product packaging).''.
(d) Deadline for Rules.--The Federal Trade Commission shall
prescribe under section 8 of the Fairness to Contact Lens
Consumers Act rules to carry out the amendments made by this
section. The first rules prescribed for such purpose shall
take effect not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this title.
(e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect when the rules required by subsection (d)
take effect.
SEC. 204. FTC STUDIES.
(a) Implementation of Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers
Act.--Not later than 12 months after the date of the
enactment of this title, the Federal Trade Commission shall
submit to Congress a report providing the results of a review
by the Commission of the implementation of the Fairness to
Contact Lens Consumers Act (Public Law 108-164; 15 U.S.C.
7601 et seq.) and the rules prescribed under that Act.
(b) Prescriber's Preferred Method of Communication.--Not
later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this
title, the Federal Trade Commission shall submit to Congress
a report providing the views of the Commission of the
advisability of providing by law for prescribers of contact
lens prescriptions to have authority to require, by written
notification provided to a seller of contact lenses, that all
requests for verification from that seller be communicated to
that prescriber by that prescriber's preferred method of
communication.
SEC. 205. FDA CONSUMER SAFETY STUDY.
(a) Adverse Effects of Violations.--The Secretary of Health
and Human Services shall undertake a study to examine the
adverse and potentially adverse effects on consumers of
seller violations of the prescription verification and sales
requirements of the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act
(15 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.). The study shall be undertaken in
consultation with the Federal Trade Commission. The study
shall specifically address the following:
(1) The overfilling of prescriptions with quantities of
lenses that exceed the normal expiration dates of the
prescriptions.
(2) The dispensing of prescriptions that have expired or
are inaccurate.
(3) The failure by a seller to allow prescribers to contact
the seller within 8 business hours to advise that a
prescription is inaccurate or expired.
(4) The health risks to the consumer of receiving the
incorrect prescription from a seller.
(5) The economic risks to the consumer of receiving the
incorrect prescription from a seller.
(6) The improper advertising to consumers about what
constitutes a valid prescription or valid prescription
information, or advertising that no prescription is needed.
(7) Any other issue that has an impact on the health of the
consumer from violations of the verification or sales
requirements of the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act.
(b) Report.--Not later than 12 months after the date of the
enactment of this title, the Secretary shall transmit to
Congress a report providing the results of the study required
by this section.
TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
SEC. 301. 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.
SEC. 302. MEDICARE CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL DESIGNATION.
Section 405(h) of the Medicare Prescription Drug,
Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-
173; 117 Stat. 2269) is amended by adding at the end the
following new paragraph:
``(3) Exception.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall
not apply to the certification by the State of Minnesota on
or after January 1, 2006, under section 1820(c)(2)(B)(I)(II)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-4(c)(2)(B)(I)(I))
of one hospital in Cass County, Minnesota, as a necessary
provider of health services to residents in the area of the
hospital.''.
Amend the title so as to read: ``A Bill 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, and for other purposes.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Barton) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the passage of Senate 707, the
PREEMIE Act, as amended. This bipartisan bill would expand research
into the causes and prevention of premature births, the number one
cause of infant deaths in the first month of life, and a serious and
growing problem in the United States.
The rate of prematurity has increased more than 30 percent since
1981. We have made vast improvements in treating premature infants, but
we have had little success in understanding and preventing premature
birth.
{time} 0145
The knowledge that we have gained has not been translated into
improved perinatal outcomes. As the science stands now, nearly 50
percent of all premature births have no known cause. Scientists are
learning more about numerous factors that may play a role in premature
birth, ranging from genetic
[[Page H9249]]
factors, environmental triggers, and obesity to socioeconomic factors
and life stress. All factors that could possibly play a role in
premature birth should be explored.
Please join me in acting now to approve this bill and substantially
strengthen our Nation's commitment to reducing our spiraling rate of
premature births and the often tragic human and societal toll they
exact.
At this time, I would like to thank the author of the bill, Mr. Upton
from Michigan, for his hard work on this important legislation. I also
want to thank Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee and Senator Tom
Harkin from Iowa for their strong work in the other body on this
bipartisan bill.
I urge passage of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I have to rise in opposition to this
legislation, and the reason is very simple. Those of us on the
Democratic side were very supportive of the PREEMIE Act, S. 707, when
it was given to us in the last few days, and we were prepared to
support it. However, the bill that I have in front of me now, S. 707,
which has a time of 12:44 a.m. and we received it after 1:00, which was
less than an hour ago, has 10 pages that have been added by the
majority, much of which does not seem, on first reaction here, to even
be related to the issue, and we simply cannot support something that
has been changed this dramatically without having the opportunity to
see it at 1:45 a.m. in the morning on the last day before we adjourn
sine die.
Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. PALLONE. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.
Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman.
I had the opportunity to review the bill briefly, and this is a bill
that purports by its title to relate to the care and study of premature
babies, but it also has a whole section dealing with contact lenses and
the industry; and it also has a provision that deals with the Head
Start program; and it also has a provision that deals with the Medicare
program.
Now, I want to say that I think that we have misunderstood our
Republican colleagues because this is the first bill that I have seen
that deals with health care from cradle to grave, and so we ought to
give them better consideration in the new Congress.
However, with this bill, it raises questions about exactly what we
are doing here at this hour where they are throwing everything in.
So I would ask the gentleman from New Jersey to pursue a course of
action here not only of objection but of calling upon the soon-to-be
expiring majority to not belabor this case any longer. If you have a
clean bill you can send over here, fine, we will look at it, but there
are at least four bills they have rolled into one, and I think Mr.
Pallone's point is well-taken.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would say, again, the problem that we
face right now is we have 10 pages that have been added to this bill
within the last hour, much of which does not seem to relate to the
PREEMIE Act whatsoever.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman
from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), a member of the committee.
Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the good chairman for
bringing this bill to the floor tonight, which also, as the gentleman
from Ohio mentioned, does include a consumer protection which I wrote
in regarding contact lenses which ensures that manufacturers cannot
have tie-in agreements with retail shops where they are the exclusive
providers of the contact lens, therefore thwarting the law that we
passed in Congress several years ago, about 3 years ago, that allows
the consumer the opportunity to shop around. I want to make sure that
consumers have that right to shop around. That is what this protection
allows.
I want to thank the folks that have allowed this to come to the floor
tonight in our last night, regardless of the vehicle. It is a good
consumer protection measure.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
While there is some confusion on this bill, I want to speak in full
disclosure on what is in the bill. The primary vehicle before us is a
premature infant bill which I think is the number one legislative item
for the March of Dimes. As far as I know, there is absolutely no
controversy about that bill. I do not know that anybody and any Member
opposes that bill.
There is also a contact lens bill that deals with the verification
program between 1-800 contact lens providers, mail order contact lens
providers, and optometrists on verification of the prescription, and
that on that particular bill I would say 90 percent of that has been
agreed to by the stakeholders.
The part that is in dispute is exactly mechanically how to verify the
contact lens prescription. The bill would give the FTC the authority to
conduct a study and report to Congress on how to solve that problem, I
believe within 180 days of passage of the bill. The optometrists, or at
least some optometrists, do oppose that.
The other item in the bill is an extension of a rule for 6 months
dealing with Head Start that Congressman Harkin and Congressman
Grassley called about and that I made sure was cleared on both the
minority and majority sides at the leadership level and the committee
level before I agreed to put that in.
The last thing in this bill is an item dealing with a critical care
access hospital in Minnesota that was put in at the request of the
Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle this evening.
That is the content of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Again, I want to repeat, just having the cursory look at this
additional 10 pages right now, it refers to contact lenses, Medicare
changes with regard to hospitalization, a number of other things that
do not relate to the PREEMIE Act.
So, again, I would say that at this point, because we have not had a
chance to review this, I continue to oppose the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
distinguished doctor from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Barton for giving me an
opportunity.
I hope we can work out with the other side, and of course, they are
doing the due diligence they should do in watching in these waning
hours, that as we approach sine die to look out for any mischief, but I
think as Representative Terry described, this is a very good piece of
legislation that was added to an outstanding piece of legislation, the
PREEMIE Act.
I am standing to support the PREEMIE Act, not the additions, but
hopefully, like I say, the concerns can be allayed and we can work this
out. But I am the granddad of premature, indeed immature, infants that
were born at 26 weeks, weighing 1.12 ounces. They are 9-year-olds
today. My daughter is on the board of directors of the March of Dimes
of the State of Georgia and has worked very hard and asked me to
support this bill.
As Chairman Barton says, this is the number one piece of legislation
for the national March of Dimes, and I would really hate to see this
great bill go down sine die because of some additions to it, but
hopefully, those will be accepted by the other side, and I support the
bill. I encourage my colleagues to support it as well.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Understand that we are very supportive of the PREEMIE Act and the
underlying legislation. It is just these additional provisions that
have been added. I was going to suggest that the majority simply take
out those 10 pages or so at this time because without having the
opportunity to further review it we cannot support the legislation at
this point.
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in strong support of S. 707,
the PREEMIE Act, which I hope still comes up for passage yet tonight.
This bipartisan bill will improve prenatal care for women and boost
research into why one in eight American babies is born early. I want to
take this opportunity to thank Anna Eshoo, our original cosponsor, and
her staff
[[Page H9250]]
for their support and assistance in moving the bill forward, and I also
want to express my gratitude to my Chairman, Joe Barton and his staffer
Randy Pate for making it possible to bring this bill to the floor
today.
As a nation, we must do what we can to ensure that our children are
born healthy. In this age of technology and state-of-the-art medicine,
it is difficult to comprehend that one in eight babies born in the
United States is premature. It is essential that we are successful in
reducing the spiraling rate of premature births--they have risen 30
percent since 1981. The stakes are too high to fail--the health of our
children hangs in the balance.
Premature birth is a serious and growing problem--the statistics are
alarming. In February 2004, the National Center for Health Statistics
reported the first increase in the U.S. infant mortality rate since
1958. Each day 1,305 babies are born too soon. Prematurity affects more
than 480,000 babies in the United States each year. Tragically,
premature infants are 14 times more likely to die in their first year
of life.
Further, premature babies who survive may suffer lifelong
consequences, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic
lung disease, and vision and hearing loss. Pre-term delivery can happen
to any pregnant woman, and in nearly one-half of the cases, the cause
is undeterminable. The costs are also staggering. The average lifetime
medical costs for a premature baby are conservatively estimated at
$500,000.
Although we have made vast improvements in treating premature
infants, we have had little success in understanding and preventing
premature birth, and the knowledge that we have gained has not been
translated into improved perinatal outcomes. This has got to change.
The PREEMIE Act is designed to reduce the rates of pre-term labor and
delivery, promote the use of evidence-based care for pregnant women at
risk of pre-term labor and for infants born pre-term, and reduce infant
mortality and disabilities caused by premature birth. This will be
accomplished by expanding federal research related to pre-term labor
and delivery and increasing public and provider education and support
services.
The legislation is strongly supported by the March of Dimes, the
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, and the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and
Neonatal Nurses.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no other requests for time
and urge passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, again, I would urge opposition to the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the Senate bill, S. 707, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having not
responded in the affirmative) the motion was rejected.
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