In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

December 9 (legislative day, December 8), 2006.

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 707) entitled 

‘‘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’’, do pass with the following

AMENDMENT:

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Prematurity Research 

3 Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants 

4 Early Act’’ or the ‘‘PREEMIE Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

6 It the purpose of this Act to—

7 (1) reduce rates of preterm labor and delivery; 

8 (2) work toward an evidence-based standard of 

9 care for pregnant women at risk of preterm labor or 

10 other serious complications, and for infants born 

11 preterm and at a low birthweight; and 

12 (3) reduce infant mortality and disabilities 

13 caused by prematurity. 
2

•S 707 EAH 

1 SEC. 3. RESEARCH RELATING TO PRETERM LABOR AND DE2 LIVERY AND THE CARE, TREATMENT, AND 

3 OUTCOMES OF PRETERM AND LOW BIRTH4 WEIGHT INFANTS. 

5 (a) GENERAL EXPANSION OF CDC RESEARCH.—Sec6 tion 301 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 

7 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(e) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the 

9 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall expand, 

10 intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Centers for 

11 Disease Control and Prevention with respect to preterm 

12 labor and delivery and infant mortality.’’. 

13 (b) STUDIES ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRE14 MATURITY AND BIRTH DEFECTS.—

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

16 Human Services, acting through the Director of the 

17 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall, 

18 subject to the availability of appropriations, conduct 

19 ongoing epidemiological studies on the relationship 

20 between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental 

21 disabilities. 

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

23 date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years there24 after, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

25 acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 

26 Control and Prevention, shall submit to the appro-
3

•S 707 EAH 

1 priate committees of Congress reports concerning the 

2 progress and any results of studies conducted under 

3 paragraph (1). 

4 (c) PREGNANCY RISK ASSESSMENT MONITORING SUR5 VEY.—

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

7 Human Services, acting through the Director of the 

8 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall es9 tablish systems for the collection of maternal-infant 

10 clinical and biomedical information, including elec11 tronic health records, electronic databases, and 

12 biobanks, to link with the Pregnancy Risk Assessment 

13 Monitoring System (PRAMS) and other epidemiolog14 ical studies of prematurity in order to track preg15 nancy outcomes and prevent preterm birth. 

16 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

17 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

18 paragraph (1) $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

19 2007 through 2011. 

20 (d) EVALUATION OF EXISTING TOOLS AND MEAS21 URES.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

22 review existing tools and measures to ensure that such tools 

23 and measures include information related to the known risk 

24 factors of low birth weight and preterm birth. 
4

•S 707 EAH 

1 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, ex3 cept for subsection (c), $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

4 2007 through 2011. 

5 SEC. 4. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDUCATION 

6 AND SUPPORT SERVICES. 

7 Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

8 (42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended—

9 (1) by redesignating the second section 399O (re10 lating to grants to foster public health responses to 

11 domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and 

12 stalking) as section 399P; and 

13 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 399Q. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDU15 CATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, directly or through 

17 the awarding of grants to public or private nonprofit enti18 ties, may conduct demonstration projects for the purpose 

19 of improving the provision of information on prematurity 

20 to health professionals and other health care providers and 

21 the public and improving the treatment and outcomes for 

22 babies born preterm. 

23 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Activities to be carried out under 

24 the demonstration project under subsection (a) may include 

25 the establishment of—
5

•S 707 EAH 

1 ‘‘(1) programs to test and evaluate various strat2 egies to provide information and education to health 

3 professionals, other health care providers, and the 

4 public concerning—

5 ‘‘(A) the signs of preterm labor, updated as 

6 new research results become available; 

7 ‘‘(B) the screening for and the treating of 

8 infections; 

9 ‘‘(c) counseling on optimal weight and good 

10 nutrition, including folic acid; 

11 ‘‘(D) smoking cessation education and coun12 seling; 

13 ‘‘(E) stress management; and 

14 ‘‘(F) appropriate prenatal care; 

15 ‘‘(2) programs to improve the treatment and out16 comes for babies born premature, including the use of 

17 evidence-based standards of care by health care profes18 sionals for pregnant women at risk of preterm labor 

19 or other serious complications and for infants born 

20 preterm and at a low birthweight; 

21 ‘‘(3) programs to respond to the informational 

22 needs of families during the stay of an infant in a 

23 neonatal intensive care unit, during the transition of 

24 the infant to the home, and in the event of a newborn 

25 death; and 
6

•S 707 EAH 

1 ‘‘(4) such other programs as the Secretary deter2 mines appropriate to achieve the purpose specified in 

3 subsection (a). 

4 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

6 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.’’. 

7 SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON PRE8 MATURITY AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT. 

9 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 

10 stimulate multidisciplinary research, scientific exchange, 

11 and collaboration among the agencies of the Department of 

12 Health and Human Services and to assist the Department 

13 in targeting efforts to achieve the greatest advances toward 

14 the goal of reducing prematurity and low birthweight. 

15 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 

16 Human Services shall establish an Interagency Coordi17 nating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight (re18 ferred to in this section as the Council) to carry out the 

19 purpose of this section. 

20 (c) COMPOSITION.—The Council shall be composed of 

21 members to be appointed by the Secretary, including rep22 resentatives of the agencies of the Department of Health and 

23 Human Services. 

24 (d) ACTIVITIES.—The Council shall—
7

•S 707 EAH 

1 (1) annually report to the Secretary of Health 

2 and Human Services and Congress on current De3 partmental activities relating to prematurity and low 

4 birthweight; 

5 (2) carry out other activities determined appro6 priate by the Secretary of Health and Human Serv7 ices; and 

8 (3) oversee the coordination of the implementa9 tion of this Act. 

10 SEC. 6. SURGEON GENERAL’S CONFERENCE ON PRETERM 

11 BIRTH. 

12 (a) CONVENING OF CONFERENCE.—Not later than 1 

13 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

14 of Health and Human Services, acting through the Surgeon 

15 General of the Public Health Service, shall convene a con16 ference on preterm birth. 

17 (b) PURPOSE OF CONFERENCE.—The purpose of the 

18 conference convened under subsection (a) shall be to—

19 (1) increase awareness of preterm birth as a seri20 ous, common, and costly public health problem in the 

21 United States; 

22 (2) review the findings and reports issued by the 

23 Interagency Coordinating Council, key stakeholders, 

24 and any other relevant entities; and 
8

•S 707 EAH 

1 (3) establish an agenda for activities in both the 

2 public and private sectors that will speed the identi3 fication of, and treatments for, the causes of and risk 

4 factors for preterm labor and delivery. 

5 (c) REPORT.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

6 Services shall submit to the Congress and make available 

7 to the public a report on the agenda established under sub8 section (b)(3), including recommendations for activities in 

9 the public and private sectors that will speed the identifica10 tion of, and treatments for, the causes of and risk factors 

11 for preterm labor and delivery. 

12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

14 (other than subsection (c)) $125,000. 

15 SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE OF CERTAIN HEAD START REGU16 LATIONS. 

17 Section 1310.12(a) of title 45 of the Code of Federal 

18 Regulations (October 1, 2004) shall not be effective until 

19 June 30, 2007, or 60 days after the date of the enactment 

20 of a statute that authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 
9

•S 707 EAH 

1 2007 to carry out the Head Start Act, whichever date is 

2 earlier.

Attest:

Clerk. 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 707

AMENDMENTS