Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes, made the following statement as President Bush signed the "PREEMIE" Act (S. 707) into law:

"Today President Bush responded to the growing crisis of premature birth by signing into law a bill that authorizes increased federal support for research and education on prematurity. Millions of active March of Dimes volunteers and staff across the nation have worked toward this day for more than 3 years. On their behalf, I thank the President and members of Congress for their willingness to work with us to put prematurity on the national health agenda.

"Premature birth, one of the most common, serious, and costly problems facing America's infants, affects more than 500,000 babies in the U.S. each year and causes disability and death in too many cases. A key provision of the "PREEMIE" Act sets the stage for a Surgeon General's conference at which scientific and clinical experts from the public and private sectors will sit down together to formulate a national action agenda designed to speed development of prevention strategies to reduce occurrences of preterm labor and delivery.

"As the New Year begins, we look forward to working with the Administration and the 110th Congress to appropriate the funding needed to implement the provisions of this most important initiative."

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy and in 2003 launched a multi-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth.