PREEMIE Act
Public Law 109-450 · S. 707 · 109th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 22, 2006 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Cosponsors (42): Sen. Christopher Dodd, Sen. Robert Bennett,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act or the PREEMIE Act - (Sec. 3) Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) expand and coordinate CDC activities on preterm labor and delivery and infant mortality; (2) conduct ongoing epidemiological studies on the relationship between prematurity, birth defects, and developmental disabilities; and (3) establish systems for the collection of maternal-infant clinical biomedical information to link with the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System.
Requires the Secretary to review existing tools and measures to ensure that such tools and measures include information related to the known risk factors of low birth weight and preterm birth.
(Sec. 4) Allows the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects to improve: (1) the provision of information on prematurity to health professionals and the public; and (2) treatment and outcome for babies born preterm.
(Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary to establish an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low Birthweight.
(Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary, acting through the Surgeon General, to convene a conference on preterm birth.
Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 7) Delays (until the earlier of June 30, 2007, or 60 days after enactment of a FY2007 authorization of appropriations to carry out the Head Start Act) the effective date of regulations requiring agencies providing transportation services to ensure that children enrolled in Head Start are transported in school buses or allowable alternate vehicles that: (1) are equipped for use of height- and weight-appropriate child restraint systems; and (2) have reverse beepers.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Energy and Commerce Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Health Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 2861Related bill
Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 30 actions.
- Dec 22, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-450.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 20, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 9, 2006Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Barton (TX) asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Failed by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Failed of passage/not agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Failed by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 707.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Barton (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Aug 2, 2006FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Aug 1, 2006FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Jul 31, 2006CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 541.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Enzi with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-298.
- Jun 28, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Nov 14, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S12739)
- Apr 5, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3212)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
H.Amdt. 1222HouseRep. Joe BartonR-TX-6· offered Dec 9, 2006Agreed to
Dec 9, 2006: On agreeing to the Barton (TX) amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.