II

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1420

To reauthorize the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality, and

for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

AUGUST 6 (legislative day, JUNE 30), 1993

Mr. GLENN (for himself, Mr. BRADLEY, Mr. DURENBERGER, Mr. RIEGLE,

Mr. DODD, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. ROBB, Mr. DECONCINI, Mr. KENNEDY,

Mr. HATFIELD, Mr. NUNN, Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN, Mr. CHAFEE, and Mr.

BINGAMAN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

A BILL

To reauthorize the National Commission to Prevent Infant

Mortality, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Commission

5 to Prevent Infant Mortality Reauthorization Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

7 A reference in this Act to ‘‘the Act’’ shall be a ref8 erence to the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mor-
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1 tality Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 285g note; Public Law 99–

2 660; 100 Stat. 3752).

3 SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

4 The Congress finds that—

5 (1) infant mortality is largely preventable with

6 early, regular, and comprehensive prenatal care,

7 good nutrition, healthy behaviors during pregnancy,

8 and preventive well baby care;

9 (2) while the United States’ infant mortality

10 rate is slowly improving, the Nation still lags behind

11 most other developed nations, and the advances that

12 are being made continue to be due mostly to im13 proved technology that saves low birthweight and

14 otherwise at-risk newborns rather than making sure

15 all babies are born as healthy as possible in the first

16 place;

17 (3) children born at low birthweight and other18 wise at-risk not only are more likely to die, but also

19 are much more likely to suffer long-term disabilities

20 and require costly medical interventions, special edu21 cation, and other services;

22 (4) in 1988, the National Commission to Pre23 vent Infant Mortality developed a strategic national

24 plan to reduce infant mortality, and submitted such

25 plan to the Congress and the President in a report
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1 entitled ‘‘Death Before Life: The Tragedy of Infant

2 Mortality’’;

3 (5) the report’s many recommendations cen4 tered on fundamental solutions to the problem of in5 fant mortality that have existed for decades, includ6 ing recommendations that all pregnant women and

7 infants must have universal access to the range of

8 necessary services, and that the health and well9 being of mothers and children must become a high

10 national priority;

11 (6) since issuing such report, the Commission

12 has continued to promote specific actions, based on

13 the report’s recommendations, for Congress and all

14 sectors of society to take to improve the health and

15 well-being of all infants, children, and pregnant

16 women;

17 (7) despite considerable effort and success by

18 many throughout the Nation to improve the acces19 sibility of services and to raise awareness about

20 healthy behaviors, numerous financial and non21 financial barriers still exist in the service delivery

22 system, the public continues to lack the information

23 and often motivation needed to make healthy

24 choices, and the infant mortality rate, low
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1 birthweight rate, and other indicators continue to be

2 far too high; and

3 (8) to help assure that the Nation reaches the

4 goal of universal access to care and that the health

5 and well-being of all infants, children, and pregnant

6 women becomes a high national priority, the need

7 for the Commission continues.

8 SEC. 4. COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION.

9 Section 203(b) of the Act is amended—

10 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by

11 striking out ‘‘fifteen members’’ and inserting in lieu

12 thereof ‘‘sixteen members’’;

13 (2) in paragraph (3) in the second sentence—

14 (A) by inserting ‘‘directly’’ before ‘‘respon15 sible for administering the State medicaid pro16 gram’’; and

17 (B) by inserting ‘‘directly’’ before ‘‘respon18 sible for administering the State maternal and

19 child health programs’’; and

20 (3) in paragraph (6) by striking out ‘‘Six at

21 large members’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘Seven

22 at large members’’.

23 SEC. 5. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

24 Section 204 of the Act is amended to read as follows:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 204. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

2 ‘‘The Commission shall—

3 ‘‘(1) develop strategic plans to initiate and

4 stimulate action on the recommendations in the re5 port submitted by the Commission to the Congress

6 and President in 1988 entitled, ‘‘Death Before Life:

7 The Tragedy of Infant Mortality’’;

8 ‘‘(2) inform the Congress and others, through

9 reports, conferences, briefings, public information

10 campaigns, and other means of the specific actions

11 that can be taken to improve the health and well12 being of pregnant women, infants, and children;

13 ‘‘(3) serve as an information clearinghouse for

14 the Congress and other interested parties on domes15 tic and international model programs and cost effec16 tive strategies for—

17 ‘‘(A) improving the health and well-being

18 of pregnant women and children in the areas of

19 Federal and State legislation and program ad20 ministration; and

21 ‘‘(B) organizing and delivering local serv22 ices, raising public awareness, and conducting

23 outreach to populations in need;

24 ‘‘(4) annually report and make recommenda25 tions on the demographic and related trends con-
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1 cerning the health of pregnant women, infants, and

2 children to the Congress and the President; and

3 ‘‘(5) establish working relationships and

4 networking linkages with organizations and other

5 entities within and outside the Federal Government

6 to promote the health and well-being of pregnant

7 women, infants, and children.’’.

8 SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.

9 Section 205 of the Act is amended by redesignating

10 subsection (d) as subsection (f) and inserting after sub11 section (c) the following new subsections:

12 ‘‘(d) GRANTS.—To carry out its activities, the Com13 mission may accept and expend private sector funds from

14 corporations, nonprofit foundations, or individuals. The

15 Commission may also accept and expend interagency

16 transfer funds from agencies of the United States Govern17 ment. The Commission shall report all grant raising, ac18 ceptance, and expending activities and the amount of all

19 funds related to such activities to the Appropriations Com20 mittees of the Senate and the House of Representatives

21 on an annual basis.

22 ‘‘(e) VOLUNTARY SERVICES.—Notwithstanding sec23 tion 1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Commission

24 may accept voluntary and uncompensated services.’’.
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1 SEC. 7. COMMISSION STAFF.

2 Section 206 of the Act is amended—

3 (1) in subsection (b) by striking out ‘‘the rate

4 payable for GS–18 of the General Schedule under

5 section 5332 of such title’’ and inserting in lieu

6 thereof ‘‘the rate payable for a position at level IV

7 of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of

8 such title’’; and

9 (2) in subsection (d) by striking out ‘‘the daily

10 rate payable for GS–18 of the General Schedule

11 under section 5332 of such title’’ and inserting in

12 lieu thereof ‘‘the daily rate payable for a position at

13 level IV of the Executive Schedule under section

14 5315 of such title’’.

15 SEC. 8. REAUTHORIZATION OF COMMISSION.

16 Sections 208 and 209 of the Act are amended to read

17 as follows:

18 ‘‘SEC. 208. TERMINATION OF THE COMMISSION.

19 ‘‘The Commission shall terminate on December 31,

20 1997.

21 ‘‘SEC. 209. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

22 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Com23 mission $480,000 in fiscal year 1995, $480,000 in fiscal

24 year 1996, and $600,000 in fiscal year 1997. Sums appro25 priated pursuant to this section shall remain available

26 through December 31, 1997.’’.
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1 SEC. 9. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

2 The matter under the heading ‘‘NATIONAL COMMIS3 SION TO PREVENT INFANT MORTALITY’’ under title IV of

4 the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,

5 and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,

6 1989 (Public Law 100–436; 102 Stat. 1709) is amended

7 by striking out the second and third sentences.

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