congressional_record: CREC-2006-12-27-pt1-PgE2241
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2006-12-27-pt1-PgE2241 | 2006-12-27 | 109 | 2 | PREMATURITY RESEARCH EXPANSION AND EDUCATION FOR MOTHERS WHO DELIVER INFANTS EARLY | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2241 | E2241 | [{"name": "Anna G. Eshoo", "role": "speaking"}] | 152 Cong. Rec. E2241 | Congressional Record, Volume 152 Issue 136 (Wednesday, December 27, 2006) [Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 136 (Wednesday, December 27, 2006)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E2241] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] PREMATURITY RESEARCH EXPANSION AND EDUCATION FOR MOTHERS WHO DELIVER INFANTS EARLY ______ speech of HON. ANNA G. ESHOO of california in the house of representatives Friday, December 8, 2006 Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, as the Democratic sponsor of this bill, I am proud to rise today in strong support of this legislation. Since 1981, the CDC estimates that the number of infants born too soon has increased by over 30 percent. More than 500,000 infants are born prematurely each year. Tragically, premature infants are 14 times more likely to die in their first year of life and premature babies who survive may suffer lifelong consequences including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing loss. Preterm delivery can happen to any pregnant woman and in nearly half of the cases, no one knows why. This legislation will help identify the causes of prematurity and reduce the episodes of preterm labor and delivery. It also aims to reduce the risk of pregnancy-related deaths and complications due to pregnancy, and reduce infant mortality caused by prematurity. But the overarching goal of this legislation is to bring hope to the 1,305 babies born too soon each day, and extend hope to their families. This legislation gives us a chance to make a difference. The PREEMIE Act requires HHS and the CDC to expand and coordinate their research activities on preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality, and to conduct research on the relationship between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities. In order to increase awareness of preterm birth as a serious, common and costly public health problem, the bill also requires the Surgeon General to conduct an expert conference on prematurity and report to Congress its recommendations for how the public and private sectors can identify the causes of and risk factors for preterm labor and delivery, and improve treatments. This bill has the strong endorsement of the March of Dimes, which has worked closely with us to craft this legislation. I salute and thank them for their advocacy. This legislation has broad bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and the Senate. I thank the bill's many cosponsors for their support and I especially want to pay tribute to the sponsor of this legislation, Congressman Fred Upton, for his leadership on this issue. We introduced this bill together in previous Congresses and I'm proud to have worked with him to make this bill a reality. I also want to thank the bill's champions in the Senate, Senators Lamar Alexander and Chris Dodd. It has been a rewarding experience for me to work in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to enact this legislation, and I think our collective efforts have made this bill stronger because of it. I want to thank Chairman Barton for acknowledging the importance of acting on this legislation before the end of the year and bringing it to the floor today. I also want to thank the staff members who have put so much time and energy into this legislation: Page Kranbuhl with Senator Alexander, Tamar Magarik with Senator Dodd, Jane Williams with Representative Upton, Randy Pate with Chairman Barton, and Jennifer Nieto of my staff. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill which will help make a difference in the lives of families across America and around the world and I urge my colleagues to support it. ____________________ |