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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 11, 2025
PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2025
This bill reauthorizes through FY2029 and establishes actions by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address preterm birth (i.e., babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy).
Specifically, the bill reauthorizes epidemiological studies, data tracking, and prevention efforts conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to preterm birth.
Also, the bill requires HHS to establish an interagency working group to improve federal coordination and provide recommendations on preventing preterm birth, infant mortality, and related adverse birth outcomes.
Additionally, HHS must arrange for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study preterm birth in the United States and report to HHS and Congress on certain aspects, including the financial costs and strategies to reduce the rate of preterm birth.
People & committees
Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] · D–IL
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Jun 24, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-11 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2025 would update the years covered by an existing premature-birth research provision and require a federal working group. It would also require an expert study of premature births, their costs to families and society, and approaches to prevention and care. The work concerns pregnancies at risk of early delivery and infants born early or at low birthweight.
This Act may be cited as the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2025.
Research relating to preterm labor and delivery and the care, treatment, and outcomes of preterm and low birthweight infants
is amended by striking fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and inserting fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
(b) Interagency working group Section 5(a) of the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–328) is amended by striking The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with other departments, as appropriate, may establish and inserting Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2025, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with other departments, as appropriate, shall establish.
convene a committee of experts in maternal health to study premature births in the United States
The financial costs of premature birth to society
targeted research strategies to develop effective drugs, treatments, or interventions to bring at-risk pregnancies to term
Section 2(a) would replace fiscal years 2019–2023 with fiscal years 2025–2029 in the existing research provision. The supplied bill does not reproduce the underlying provision or specify a funding amount.
Section 3(e) of the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–4f(e)) is amended by striking fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and inserting fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
A technical correction would change a reference in the 2018 reauthorization act from “Section 2” to “Section 3,” taking effect as though it had been included when that act was enacted.
Effective as if included in the enactment of the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–328), section 2 of such Act is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking Section 2 and inserting Section 3.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services would have to establish the interagency working group within 18 months after enactment, collaborating with other departments as appropriate. This would replace permission to establish the group with a requirement.
(b) Interagency working group Section 5(a) of the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–328) is amended by striking The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with other departments, as appropriate, may establish and inserting Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2025, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with other departments, as appropriate, shall establish.
The Secretary would have to arrange for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene maternal-health experts within 30 days after enactment to study premature births in the United States.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall enter into appropriate arrangements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which the National Academies shall— (A) not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, convene a committee of experts in maternal health to study premature births in the United States
The National Academies would have to approve a report by consensus, including the required assessments, analysis, and underlying raw data. It would have to send the report within 24 months after enactment to the Secretary and the specified House and Senate committees.
(B) upon completion of the study under subparagraph (A)— (i) approve by consensus a report on the results of such study; (ii) include in such report— (I) an assessment of each of the topics listed in paragraph (2); (II) the analysis required by paragraph (3); and (III) the raw data used to develop such report; and (iii) not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act, transmit such report to— (I) the Secretary of Health and Human Services; (II) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and (III) the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.
The study would assess the costs of premature birth, including newborn intensive-care stays and longer-term costs to families and society after discharge. Family health-care costs would include medicines, therapy, visit co-payments, and specialized equipment.
(A) The financial costs of premature birth to society, including— (i) an analysis of stays in neonatal intensive care units and the cost of such stays; (ii) long-term costs of stays in such units to society and the family involved post-discharge; and (iii) health care costs for families post-discharge from such units (such as medications, therapeutic services, co-payments for visits, and specialty equipment).
The study would assess factors affecting premature-birth rates and opportunities to detect risk factors earlier. It would also examine opportunities to improve maternal and infant health and for public-health programs to support parents in hospitals, outside hospitals, and after discharge.
(B) The factors that impact preterm birth rates. (C) Opportunities for earlier detection of premature birth risk factors, including— (i) opportunities to improve maternal and infant health; and (ii) opportunities for public health programs to provide support and resources for parents in-hospital, in non-hospital settings, and post-discharge.
The analysis would examine research strategies for treatments to help at-risk pregnancies reach full term, state and other programs’ best practices for reducing premature births, and precision medicine—care tailored to individual characteristics—and preventive care early in life, including pregnancy. It would focus on behavioral and biological influences and follow these approaches into adulthood. These are required research topics, not established findings of effectiveness.
(3) Analysis The analysis required by this subsection is an analysis of— (A) targeted research strategies to develop effective drugs, treatments, or interventions to bring at-risk pregnancies to term; (B) State and other programs’ best practices with respect to reducing premature birth rates; and (C) precision medicine and preventative care approaches starting early in the life course (including during pregnancy) with a focus on behavioral and biological influences on premature birth, child health, and the trajectory of such approaches into adulthood.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated June 24, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on February 11, 2025. It does not establish the bill’s subsequent progress or enactment status.
Source snapshot updated 2026-06-24T08:08:11Z. 2025-02-11: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2025-02-11: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-11. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This text-only conclusion does not establish formal earmark status or absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Research coverage and administrative assignments alone do not warrant a finding. This conclusion is limited to the supplied version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jun 24, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI