Political Quotes

“I, too, want to commend the Republicans and Democrats, who worked very, very hard to get this legislation to the floor and, hopefully, to the President's desk as soon as possible. I particularly commend Chairman Pitts and Ranking Member Pallone, Leonard Lance, Anna Eshoo, Lois Capps, and the staffs, really, on both sides. I made a commitment to all of these Members early on that we would work very diligently to get this legislation here, and we are finally here. Madam Speaker, this bill, S. 1440, known as the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, is designed to strengthen health care for kids, particularly for vulnerable kids. Not only does the bill reauthorize the PREEMIE Act, but it also includes the reauthorization of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education program, and it authorizes the National Pediatric Research Network. The original PREEMIE Act that I sponsored brought attention to the problems related to preterm birth, and since its passage, the preterm birth rate has declined. Good news. Yet, despite that improvement, according to the CDC, still a half a million babies are born prematurely every year in this country. That's one out of eight. We can and we must do better. This reauthorization will continue to strengthen the ongoing effort to track, prevent, and treat prematurity, ensuring that every child has a healthy start and a better chance at a healthy and a productive future.…”