I really appreciate the response...
Thank you for contacting me regarding your support for the reauthorization of the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Act. I appreciate hearing from you.I was a cosponsor of the original PREEMIE Act, which Congress passed and the President signed into law in December 2006. This Act expands and coordinates government-funded programs addressing preterm labor and delivery, infant mortality, and low infant birth weight at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services.Premature birth is one of the leading causes of infant death in our country. Studies show that infants who are born prematurely are at an increased risk for an array of health problems and disabilities, including cerebral palsy, blindness, lung diseases, and learning and developmental disabilities. The PREEMIE Act is designed to help stem this growing public health problem and reauthorization of the bill will support this goal.The PREEMIE Act was not reauthorized prior to adjournment of the 111th Congress. I will keep your support for it in mind if and when the bill is considered by the Senate.Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to stay in touch.Sincerely,Richard J. DurbinUnited States Senator