Preemie Reauthorization Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the full committee for yielding time.

Today, the House is going to vote on my legislation, H.R. 3226, the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act. I thank the co-leads of this legislation: Representatives Miller-Meeks, Kelly of Illinois, Burgess, Blunt Rochester, and Kiggans for their work on this important effort.

I first introduced the PREEMIE Act in 2005. It is the first and remains the only law to focus solely on the prevention of preterm births.

H.R. 3226 will improve future policy by studying the current gaps in our healthcare system that have kept rates of preterm births high and by crafting recommendations for how to address them.

Every day in the United States, 1 in 10 infants are born prematurely, placing them and their mothers at an increased risk of complicated health problems.

America's prematurity rate is one of the highest in the developed world, and it is the leading cause of newborn death.

Even babies born just a few weeks prematurely can face serious health challenges. We saw a significant 4 percent increase in preterm births in 2021, the highest recorded rate since 2007.

This bill was advanced by the Subcommittee on Health and the full Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously and enjoys bipartisan cosponsorship.

The PREEMIE Act will help prevent newborn death and disability, expand research into the causes of preterm birth, and promote the development, availability, and uses of evidence-based standards of care for pregnant women. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

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