II 

Calendar No. 541 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 707 

[Report No. 109–298] 

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 

APRIL 5, 2005 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. DODD, Mr. BENNETT, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mr. 

BOND, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. HAGEL, Ms. 

LANDRIEU, Mr. OBAMA, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. LUGAR, Ms. 

COLLINS, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. TALENT, Mr. DURBIN, 

Mr. BAYH, Mr. JOHNSON, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mr. AKAKA, 

Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. ISAKSON, Mrs. HUTCHISON, 

Mr. SARBANES, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. DORGAN, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. 

DOMENICI, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. DEWINE, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. CONRAD, Mr. PRYOR, Mr. HATCH, Mr. HARKIN, and Ms. 

SNOWE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

JULY 31, 2006 

Reported by Mr. ENZI, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

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. 


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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 

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

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find9 ings: 

10 (1) Premature birth is a serious and growing 

11 problem. The rate of preterm birth increased 27 per12 cent between 1982 and 2002 (from 9.4 percent to 

13 11.9 percent). In 2001, more than 480,000 babies 

14 were born prematurely in the United States. 

15 (2) Preterm birth accounts for 24 percent of 

16 deaths in the first month of life. 

17 (3) Premature infants are 14 times more likely 

18 to die in the first year of life. 

19 (4) Premature babies who survive may suffer 

20 lifelong consequences, including cerebral palsy, men21 tal retardation, chronic lung disease, and vision and 

22 hearing loss. 

23 (5) Preterm and low birthweight birth is a sig24 nificant financial burden in health care. The esti25 mated charges for hospital stays for infants with any 


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1 diagnosis of prematurity/low birthweight were 

2 $15,500,000,000 in 2002. The average lifetime med3 ical costs of a premature baby are conservatively es4 timated at $500,000. 

5 (6) The proportion of preterm infants born to 

6 African-American mothers (17.3 percent) was sig7 nificantly higher compared to the rate of infants 

8 born to white mothers (10.6 percent). Prematurity 

9 or low birthweight is the leading cause of death for 

10 African-American infants. 

11 (7) The cause of approximately half of all pre12 mature births is unknown. 

13 (8) Women who smoke during pregnancy are 

14 twice as likely as nonsmokers to give birth to a low 

15 birthweight baby. Babies born to smokers weigh, on 

16 average, 200 grams less than nonsmokers’ babies. 

17 (9) To reduce the rates of preterm labor and 

18 delivery more research is needed on the underlying 

19 causes of preterm delivery, the development of treat20 ments for prevention of preterm birth, and treat21 ments improving outcomes for infants born preterm. 

22 (b) PURPOSES.—It the purpose of this Act to— 

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

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

25 care for pregnant women at risk of preterm labor or 


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1 other serious complications, and for infants born 

2 preterm and at a low birthweight; and 

3 (3) reduce infant mortality and disabilities 

4 caused by prematurity. 

5 SEC. 3. RESEARCH RELATING TO PRETERM LABOR AND DE6 LIVERY AND THE CARE, TREATMENT, AND 

7 OUTCOMES OF PRETERM AND LOW BIRTH8 WEIGHT INFANTS. 

9 (a) GENERAL EXPANSION OF NIH RESEARCH.— 

10 Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 

11 U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 409J. EXPANSION AND COORDINATION OF RESEARCH 

14 RELATING TO PRETERM LABOR AND DELIV15 ERY AND INFANT MORTALITY. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH shall ex17 pand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Na18 tional Institutes of Health with respect to research on the 

19 causes of preterm labor and delivery, infant mortality, and 

20 improving the care and treatment of preterm and low 

21 birthweight infants. 

22 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF RESEARCH NETWORKS.— 

23 There shall be established within the National Institutes 

24 of Health a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and 

25 a Neonatal Research Units Network. In complying with 


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1 this subsection, the Director of NIH shall utilize existing 

2 networks. 

3 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

5 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

6 2005 through 2009.’’. 

7 (b) GENERAL EXPANSION OF CDC RESEARCH.— 

8 Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(e) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control 

12 and Prevention shall expand, intensify, and coordinate the 

13 activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven14 tion with respect to preterm labor and delivery and infant 

15 mortality.’’. 

16 (c) STUDY ON ASSISTED REPRODUCTION TECH17 NOLOGIES.—Section 1004(c) of the Children’s Health Act 

18 of 2000 (Public Law 106–310) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

20 end; 

21 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 

22 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) consider the impact of assisted reproduc2 tion technologies on the mother’s and children’s 

3 health and development.’’. 

4 (d) STUDY ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRE5 MATURITY AND BIRTH DEFECTS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Centers 

7 for Disease Control and Prevention shall conduct a 

8 study on the relationship between prematurity, birth 

9 defects, and developmental disabilities. 

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

11 date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the 

12 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall 

13 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

14 report concerning the results of the study conducted 

15 under paragraph (1). 

16 (e) REVIEW OF PREGNANCY RISK ASSESSMENT

17 MONITORING SURVEY.—The Director of the Centers for 

18 Disease Control and Prevention shall conduct a review of 

19 the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Survey to en20 sure that the Survey includes information relative to med21 ical care and intervention received, in order to track preg22 nancy outcomes and reduce instances of preterm birth. 

23 (f) STUDY ON THE HEALTH AND ECONOMIC CON24 SEQUENCES OF PRETERM BIRTH.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 

2 Institutes of Health in conjunction with the Director 

3 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

4 shall enter into a contract with the Institute of Med5 icine of the National Academy of Sciences for the 

6 conduct of a study to define and address the health 

7 and economic consequences of preterm birth. In con8 ducting the study, the Institute of Medicine shall— 

9 (A) review and assess the epidemiology of 

10 premature birth and low birthweight, and the 

11 associated maternal and child health effects in 

12 the United States, with attention paid to cat13 egories of gestational age, plurality, maternal 

14 age, and racial or ethnic disparities; 

15 (B) review and describe the spectrum of 

16 short and long-term disability and health-re17 lated quality of life associated with premature 

18 births and the impact on maternal health, 

19 health care and quality of life, family employ20 ment, caregiver issues, and other social and fi21 nancial burdens; 

22 (C) assess the direct and indirect costs as23 sociated with premature birth, including mor24 bidity, disability, and mortality; 


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1 (D) identify gaps and provide rec2 ommendations for feasible systems of moni3 toring and assessing associated economic and 

4 quality of life burdens associated with pre5 maturity; 

6 (E) explore the implications of the burden 

7 of premature births for national health policy; 

8 (F) identify community outreach models 

9 that are effective in decreasing prematurity 

10 rates in communities; 

11 (G) consider options for addressing, as ap12 propriate, the allocation of public funds to bio13 medical and behavioral research, the costs and 

14 benefits of preventive interventions, public 

15 health, and access to health care; and 

16 (H) provide recommendations on best 

17 practices and interventions to prevent pre18 mature birth, as well as the most promising 

19 areas of research to further prevention efforts. 

20 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

21 date on which the contract is entered into under 

22 paragraph (1), the Institute of Medicine shall submit 

23 to the Director of the National Institutes of Health, 

24 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 

25 Prevention, and the appropriate committees of ConVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:39 Aug 01, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S707.RS S707

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1 gress a report concerning the results of the study 

2 conducted under such paragraph. 

3 (g) EVALUATION OF NATIONAL CORE PERFORMANCE

4 MEASURES.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

6 Health Resources and Services Administration shall 

7 conduct an assessment of the current national core 

8 performance measures and national core outcome 

9 measures utilized under the Maternal and Child 

10 Health Block Grant under title V of the Social Secu11 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) for purposes of ex12 panding such measures to include some of the 

13 known risk factors of low birthweight and pre14 maturity, including the percentage of infants born to 

15 pregnant women who smoked during pregnancy. 

16 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

17 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 

18 the Health Resources and Services Administration 

19 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con20 gress a report concerning the results of the evalua21 tion conducted under paragraph (1). 


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1 SEC. 4. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDUCATION 

2 AND SUPPORT SERVICES. 

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

4 (42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 399O. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDU7 CATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES. 

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

9 through the awarding of grants to public or private non10 profit entities, shall conduct a demonstration project to 

11 improve the provision of information on prematurity to 

12 health professionals and other health care providers and 

13 the public. 

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

15 the demonstration project under subsection (a) shall in16 clude the establishment of programs— 

17 ‘‘(1) to provide information and education to 

18 health professionals, other health care providers, and 

19 the public concerning— 

20 ‘‘(A) the signs of preterm labor, updated 

21 as new research results become available; 

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

23 infections; 

24 ‘‘(C) counseling on optimal weight and 

25 good nutrition, including folic acid; 


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1 ‘‘(D) smoking cessation education and 

2 counseling; and 

3 ‘‘(E) stress management; and 

4 ‘‘(2) to improve the treatment and outcomes for 

5 babies born premature, including the use of evi6 dence-based standards of care by health care profes7 sionals for pregnant women at risk of preterm labor 

8 or other serious complications and for infants born 

9 preterm and at a low birthweight. 

10 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENT.—Any program or activity fund11 ed under this section shall be evidence-based. 

12 ‘‘(d) NICU FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAMS.—The Sec13 retary shall conduct, through the awarding of grants to 

14 public and nonprofit private entities, projects to respond 

15 to the emotional and informational needs of families dur16 ing the stay of an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit, 

17 during the transition of the infant to the home, and in 

18 the event of a newborn death. Activities under such 

19 projects may include providing books and videos to fami20 lies that provide information about the neonatal intensive 

21 care unit experience, and providing direct services that 

22 provide emotional support within the neonatal intensive 

23 care unit setting. 

24 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 


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1 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

2 2005 through 2009.’’. 

3 SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON PRE4 MATURITY AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT. 

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

6 stimulate multidisciplinary research, scientific exchange, 

7 and collaboration among the agencies of the Department 

8 of Health and Human Services and to assist the Depart9 ment in targeting efforts to achieve the greatest advances 

10 toward the goal of reducing prematurity and low birth11 weight. 

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

13 Human Services shall establish an Interagency Coordi14 nating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight (re15 ferred to in this section as the Council) to carry out the 

16 purpose of this section. 

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

18 members to be appointed by the Secretary, including rep19 resentatives of— 

20 (1) the agencies of the Department of Health 

21 and Human Services; and 

22 (2) voluntary health care organizations, includ23 ing grassroots advocacy organizations, providers of 

24 specialty obstetrical and pediatric care, and re25 searcher organizations. 


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1 (d) ACTIVITIES.—The Council shall— 

2 (1) annually report to the Secretary of Health 

3 and Human Services on current Departmental ac4 tivities relating to prematurity and low birthweight; 

5 (2) plan and hold a conference on prematurity 

6 and low birthweight under the sponsorship of the 

7 Surgeon General; 

8 (3) establish a consensus research plan for the 

9 Department of Health and Human Services on pre10 maturity and low birthweight; 

11 (4) report to the Secretary of Health and 

12 Human Services and the appropriate committees of 

13 Congress on recommendations derived from the con14 ference held under paragraph (2) and on the status 

15 of Departmental research activities concerning pre16 maturity and low birthweight; 

17 (5) carry out other activities determined appro18 priate by the Secretary of Health and Human Serv19 ices; and 

20 (6) oversee the coordination of the implementa21 tion of this Act. 

22 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

24 this Act, such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 

25 years 2005 through 2009. 


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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. 

14 SEC. 3. RESEARCH RELATING TO PRETERM LABOR AND DE15 LIVERY AND THE CARE, TREATMENT, AND 

16 OUTCOMES OF PRETERM AND LOW BIRTH17 WEIGHT INFANTS. 

18 (a) GENERAL EXPANSION OF NIH RESEARCH.—Part 

19 B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 409J. EXPANSION AND COORDINATION OF RESEARCH 

22 RELATING TO PRETERM LABOR AND DELIV23 ERY AND INFANT MORTALITY. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

25 Director of NIH, shall expand, intensify, and coordinate 

26 the activities of the National Institutes of Health with reVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:39 Aug 01, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S707.RS S707

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1 spect to research on the causes of preterm labor and deliv2 ery, infant mortality, and improving the care and treat3 ment of preterm and low birthweight infants. 

4 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF RESEARCH NETWORKS.— 

5 There shall be established within the National Institutes of 

6 Health a multi-center clinical program (that shall be ini7 tially established utilizing existing networks) designed to— 

8 ‘‘(1) investigate problems in clinical obstetrics, 

9 particularly those related to prevention of low birth 

10 weight, prematurity, and medical problems of preg11 nancy; 

12 ‘‘(2) improve the care and outcomes of neonates, 

13 especially very-low-birth weight infants; and 

14 ‘‘(3) enhance the understanding of DNA and 

15 proteins as they relate to the underlying processes 

16 that lead to preterm birth to aid in formulating more 

17 effective interventions to prevent preterm birth.’’. 

18 (b) GENERAL EXPANSION OF CDC RESEARCH.—Sec19 tion 301 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 

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

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

22 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall expand, 

23 intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Centers for 

24 Disease Control and Prevention with respect to preterm 

25 labor and delivery and infant mortality.’’. 


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1 (c) STUDIES ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRE2 MATURITY AND BIRTH DEFECTS.— 

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

4 Human Services, acting through the Director of the 

5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall, 

6 subject to the availability of appropriations, conduct 

7 ongoing epidemiological studies on the relationship 

8 between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental 

9 disabilities. 

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

11 date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years there12 after, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

13 acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 

14 Control and Prevention, shall submit to the appro15 priate committees of Congress reports concerning the 

16 progress and any results of studies conducted under 

17 paragraph (1). 

18 (d) PREGNANCY RISK ASSESSMENT MONITORING SUR19 VEY.— 

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

21 Human Services, acting through the Director of the 

22 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall es23 tablish systems for the collection of maternal-infant 

24 clinical and biomedical information, including elec25 tronic health records, electronic databases, and 


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1 biobanks, to link with the Pregnancy Risk Assessment 

2 Monitoring System (PRAMS) and other epidemiolog3 ical studies of prematurity in order to track preg4 nancy outcomes and prevent preterm birth. 

5 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

6 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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

8 2007 through 2011. 

9 (e) EVALUATION OF EXISTING TOOLS AND MEAS10 URES.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

11 review existing tools and measures to ensure that such tools 

12 and measures include information related to some of the 

13 known risk factors of low birth weight and preterm birth. 

14 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

15 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, ex16 cept for subsection (d), $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

17 2007 through 2011. 

18 SEC. 4. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDUCATION 

19 AND SUPPORT SERVICES. 

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

21 (42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended— 

22 (1) by redesignating the second section 399O (re23 lating to grants to foster public health responses to 

24 domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and 

25 stalking) as section 399P; and 


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

2 ‘‘SEC. 399Q. PUBLIC AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDER EDU3 CATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES. 

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

5 the awarding of grants to public or private nonprofit enti6 ties, may conduct demonstration projects to improve the 

7 provision of information on prematurity to health profes8 sionals and other health care providers and the public and 

9 to improve the treatment and outcomes for babies born 

10 preterm. 

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

12 the demonstration project under subsection (a) may include 

13 the establishment of programs— 

14 ‘‘(1) to test and evaluate various strategies to 

15 provide information and education to health profes16 sionals, other health care providers, and the public 

17 concerning— 

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

19 new research results become available; 

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

21 infections; 

22 ‘‘(C) counseling on optimal weight and good 

23 nutrition, including folic acid; 

24 ‘‘(D) smoking cessation education and coun25 seling; 


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1 ‘‘(E) stress management; and 

2 ‘‘(F) appropriate prenatal care; 

3 ‘‘(2) to improve the treatment and outcomes for 

4 babies born premature, including the use of evidence5 based standards of care by health care professionals 

6 for pregnant women at risk of preterm labor or other 

7 serious complications and for infants born preterm 

8 and at a low birthweight; and 

9 ‘‘(3) to respond to the informational needs of 

10 families during the stay of an infant in a neonatal 

11 intensive care unit, during the transition of the in12 fant to the home, and in the event of a newborn death. 

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

14 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

15 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.’’. 

16 SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON PRE17 MATURITY AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT. 

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

19 stimulate multidisciplinary research, scientific exchange, 

20 and collaboration among the agencies of the Department of 

21 Health and Human Services and to assist the Department 

22 in targeting efforts to achieve the greatest advances toward 

23 the goal of reducing prematurity and low birthweight. 

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

25 Human Services shall establish an Interagency CoordiVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:39 Aug 01, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S707.RS S707

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1 nating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight (re2 ferred to in this section as the Council) to carry out the 

3 purpose of this section. 

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

5 members to be appointed by the Secretary, including rep6 resentatives of the agencies of the Department of Health and 

7 Human Services. 

8 (d) ACTIVITIES.—The Council shall— 

9 (1) annually report to the Secretary of Health 

10 and Human Services and Congress on current De11 partmental activities relating to prematurity and low 

12 birthweight; 

13 (2) carry out other activities determined appro14 priate by the Secretary of Health and Human Serv15 ices; and 

16 (3) oversee the coordination of the implementa17 tion of this Act. 

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

19 BIRTH. 

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

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

22 of Health and Human Services, acting through the Surgeon 

23 General, shall convene a conference on preterm birth. 

24 (b) PURPOSES OF CONFERENCE.—The purpose of the 

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


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1 (1) increase awareness of preterm birth as a seri2 ous, common, and costly public health problem in the 

3 United States; 

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

5 Interagency Coordinating Council, key stakeholders, 

6 and any other relevant entity; and 

7 (3) establish an agenda, and report such agenda 

8 to Congress, for activities in both the public and pri9 vate sectors that will speed the identification of, and 

10 treatments for, the causes of preterm labor and deliv11 ery. 

12 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

14 $1,000,000. 


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Calendar No. 541 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 707 

[Report No. 109

–298] 

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 

JULY 31, 2006 

Reported with an amendment 


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