II 

Calendar No. 13 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 252 

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2013 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. BENNET, Mr. ISAKSON, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. 

REED, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. LANDRIEU, and Mr. COONS) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

FEBRUARY 14, 2013 

Reported by Mr. HARKIN, without amendment 

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. 

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 ‘‘Prematurity Research 

5 Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants 

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1 Early Reauthorization Act’’ or the ‘‘PREEMIE Reauthor2 ization Act’’. 

3 SEC. 2. RESEARCH AND ACTIVITIES AT THE CENTERS FOR 

4 DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. 

5 (a) EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES.—Section 3 of the 

6 Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for 

7 Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act (42 U.S.C. 247b– 

8 4f) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(b) STUDIES AND ACTIVITIES ON PRETERM

11 BIRTH.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health 

13 and Human Services, acting through the Director of 

14 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

15 may, subject to the availability of appropriations— 

16 ‘‘(A) conduct epidemiological studies on 

17 the clinical, biological, social, environmental, ge18 netic, and behavioral factors relating to pre19 maturity, as appropriate; 

20 ‘‘(B) conduct activities to improve national 

21 data to facilitate tracking the burden of 

22 preterm birth; and 

23 ‘‘(C) continue efforts to prevent preterm 

24 birth, including late preterm birth, through the 

25 identification of opportunities for prevention 

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1 and the assessment of the impact of such ef2 forts. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

4 date of enactment of the PREEMIE Reauthoriza5 tion Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary 

6 of Health and Human Services, acting through the 

7 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre8 vention, shall submit to the appropriate committees 

9 of Congress reports concerning the progress and any 

10 results of studies conducted under paragraph (1).’’. 

11 (b) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 3(e) of the Pre12 maturity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers 

13 who deliver Infants Early Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–4f(e)) is 

14 amended by striking ‘‘2007 through 2011’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘2014 through 2018’’. 

16 SEC. 3. ACTIVITIES AT THE HEALTH RESOURCES AND 

17 SERVICES ADMINISTRATION. 

18 (a) TELEMEDICINE AND HIGH-RISK PREG19 NANCIES.—Section 330I(i)(1)(B) of the Public Health 

20 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–14(i)(1)(B)) is amended by 

21 striking ‘‘or case management services’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘case management services, or prenatal care for high-risk 

23 pregnancies’’; 

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1 (b) PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDU2 CATION.—Section 399Q of the Public Health Service Act 

3 (42 U.S.C. 280g–5) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara6 graphs (A) through (F) and inserting the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(A) the core risk factors for preterm 

9 labor and delivery; 

10 ‘‘(B) medically indicated deliveries before 

11 full term; 

12 ‘‘(C) the importance of preconception and 

13 prenatal care, including— 

14 ‘‘(i) smoking cessation; 

15 ‘‘(ii) weight maintenance and good 

16 nutrition, including folic acid; 

17 ‘‘(iii) the screening for and the treat18 ment of infections; and 

19 ‘‘(iv) stress management; 

20 ‘‘(D) treatments and outcomes for pre21 mature infants, including late preterm infants; 

22 ‘‘(E) the informational needs of families 

23 during the stay of an infant in a neonatal in24 tensive care unit; and 

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1 ‘‘(F) utilization of evidence-based strate2 gies to prevent birth injuries;’’; and 

3 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert4 ing the following: 

5 ‘‘(2) programs to increase the availability, 

6 awareness, and use of pregnancy and post-term in7 formation services that provide evidence-based, clin8 ical information through counselors, community out9 reach efforts, electronic or telephonic communica10 tion, or other appropriate means regarding causes 

11 associated with prematurity, birth defects, or health 

12 risks to a post-term infant;’’; and 

13 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2007 through 

14 2011’’ and inserting ‘‘2014 through 2018’’. 

15 SEC. 4. OTHER ACTIVITIES. 

16 (a) INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON PRE17 MATURITY AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT.—The Prematurity 

18 Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who de19 liver Infants Early Act is amended by striking section 5 

20 (42 U.S.C. 247b–4g). 

21 (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON INFANT MOR22 TALITY.— 

23 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health 

24 and Human Services (referred to in this section as 

25 the ‘‘Secretary’’) may establish an advisory commstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 mittee known as the ‘‘Advisory Committee on Infant 

2 Mortality’’ (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Advi3 sory Committee’’). 

4 (2) DUTIES.—The Advisory Committee shall 

5 provide advice and recommendations to the Sec6 retary concerning the following activities: 

7 (A) Programs of the Department of Health 

8 and Human Services that are directed at reduc9 ing infant mortality and improving the health 

10 status of pregnant women and infants. 

11 (B) Strategies to coordinate the various 

12 Federal programs and activities with State, 

13 local, and private programs and efforts that ad14 dress factors that affect infant mortality. 

15 (C) Implementation of the Healthy Start 

16 program under section 330H of the Public 

17 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–8) and 

18 Healthy People 2020 infant mortality objec19 tives. 

20 (D) Strategies to reduce preterm birth 

21 rates through research, programs, and edu22 cation. 

23 (3) PLAN FOR HHS PRETERM BIRTH ACTIVI24 TIES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enact25 ment of this section, the Advisory Committee (or an 

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1 advisory committee in existence as of the date of en2 actment of this Act and designated by the Secretary) 

3 shall develop a plan for conducting and supporting 

4 research, education, and programs on preterm birth 

5 through the Department of Health and Human 

6 Services and shall periodically review and revise the 

7 plan, as appropriate. The plan shall— 

8 (A) examine research and educational ac9 tivities that receive Federal funding in order to 

10 enable the plan to provide informed rec11 ommendations to reduce preterm birth and ad12 dress racial and ethnic disparities in preterm 

13 birth rates; 

14 (B) identify research gaps and opportuni15 ties to implement evidence-based strategies to 

16 reduce preterm birth rates among the programs 

17 and activities of the Department of Health and 

18 Human Services regarding preterm birth, in19 cluding opportunities to minimize duplication; 

20 and 

21 (C) reflect input from a broad range of sci22 entists, patients, and advocacy groups, as ap23 propriate. 

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1 (4) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary shall ensure 

2 that the membership of the Advisory Committee in3 cludes the following: 

4 (A) Representatives provided for in the 

5 original charter of the Advisory Committee. 

6 (B) A representative of the National Cen7 ter for Health Statistics. 

8 (c) PATIENT SAFETY STUDIES AND REPORT.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall des10 ignate an appropriate agency within the Department 

11 of Health and Human Services to coordinate exist12 ing studies on hospital readmissions of preterm in13 fants. 

14 (2) REPORT TO SECRETARY AND CONGRESS.— 

15 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, the agency designated under para17 graph (1) shall submit to the Secretary and to Con18 gress a report containing the findings and rec19 ommendations resulting from the studies coordi20 nated under such paragraph, including recommenda21 tions for hospital discharge and followup procedures 

22 designed to reduce rates of preventable hospital re23 admissions for preterm infants. 

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Calendar No. 13 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 252 

A BILL 

To reduce preterm labor and delivery and the risk 

caused by prematurity. due to pregnancy, and to reduce infant mortality of pregnancy-related deaths and complications 

FEBRUARY 14, 2013 

Reported without amendment 

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