Pappas Introduces ‘Baby Brent’s Bill,’ Legislation to Legislation to Protect Newborns and Hold Formula Manufacturers Accountable

July 31, 2026 Press Release Baby Brent’s Bill was inspired by and named for an NH-01 constituent This week Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) announced the introduction of Baby Brent’s Bill , legislation that would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate, report on, issue regulations, and enforce penalties including fines for unfair or deceptive advertising or marketing of preterm infant formula. Inspiration for the legislation came from the Weymouth family of New Hampshire’s First District. Their son, Brent, was born preterm and contracted necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after being given cow’s milk-based fortifier while in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). NEC is the most common emergency intestinal complication in premature infants, a fast-moving and life-threatening condition with an overall mortality rate of 33% . It is estimated that one baby dies every day in the United States from NEC and those who survive may be neurodevelopmentally impaired and have lifelong consequences. Brent contracted NEC multiple times, leading surgeons to remove more than half of his intestines. Now nearly two years old, Brent has been diagnosed with global developmental delay. “Brent’s life was permanently altered after developing NEC multiple times in the NICU. Naming this bill after him brings a voice to a struggle that many NICU families face,” said the Weymouth family. "Parents deserve complete transparency about what goes into their babies' bodies as well as the power to hold formula and fortifier manufacturers accountable. Our family is so grateful to Congressman Pappas for honoring Brent and fighting to protect future premature infants. We hope to see Congress pass this into law. This isn’t a left or right issue but a moral one.” Pappas’s legislation comes as formula manufacturers face mounting questions of legal accountability for the risks associated with cow's milk-based preterm formula. Abbott and Mead Johnson currently face nearly 1,000 lawsuits nationwide from families alleging the companies failed to warn about the risk of NEC, including more than 700 cases consolidated in federal court in Illinois. In April, a jury ordered Abbott to pay $70 million to four mothers whose premature babies developed NEC after being fed the company's preterm formula, finding Abbott failed to warn about the risk. In June, a Missouri appeals court upheld a $495 million verdict against Abbott in a similar case . Rather than change their marketing practices, manufacturers have pressed Congress for a legal shield to block families from seeking compensation, an effort Baby Brent's Bill directly rejects by affirming that no manufacturer should be permitted to limit families' ability to pursue legal recourse. "Every parent deserves complete and honest information about the products being fed to their child," said Congressman Pappas. "Brent's story is a heartbreaking reminder of what is at stake when research is limited and questionable practices go uninvestigated. I will not stand by while the status quo allows manufacturers to market formula without disclosing risks, and we must stop efforts by those same manufacturers to evade accountability. I’m introducing Baby Brent's Bill because families like Brent’s deserve transparency and the ability to seek justice when they’re harmed." “Preterm infant formula is not like any other product—it is vital to a vulnerable infant’s survival, and parents are understandably risk-averse when it comes to the health and safety of their newborn baby,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “Our infant formula industry is dominated by two companies, and they compete with one another to ensure their formula is the ‘first bottle fed’, aggressively pushing their products in hospital NICUs in order to get parents hooked as future customers. At a time when hundreds of lawsuits are alleging a connection between bovine milk fortifiers used by big infant formula manufacturers and increased incidence rates of a potentially fatal disease known as Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), it is more important than ever that we shine a light on the preterm infant formula market. Baby Brent’s Bill would require the Federal Trade Commission to investigate preterm infant formula manufactures' marketing and advertising practices to expose any deceptive behavior by these companies trying to secure greater market share. In order to continue putting babies first, we need to know what’s going on behind hospital doors.” Specifically, Pappas’s legislation: Directs the FTC to conduct an investigation and submit to Congress a report within one year of enactment on unfair or deceptive acts or practices that may be prevalent in the advertising or marketing of preterm infant formula; Directs the FTC to issue regulations to prohibit such practices and enforce such regulations no later than 18 months after the submission of their report; Directs the FTC to enforce fines and penalties for such practices consistent with the current legal maximums under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act , including up to $53,088 per violation along with other forms of relief, including the payment of damages to consumers and others resulting from the violation of the rules; Expresses the sense of Congress that parents should retain the right to be fully informed about, and be able to protect, the health of their preterm infants; that additional research is needed into the potential risks associated with cow’s-milk based fortifiers and the causes of NEC; and that no manufacturer should be permitted to limit or evade families' ability to pursue legal recourse. On May 19, Pappas joined DeLauro and Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) to introduce the Developing Oversight for Nutrition through the Official Regulation of Milk Act or the DONOR Milk Act . This legislation would better protect the nation’s supply of donor human milk, a lifesaving resource for premature and medically fragile newborns. He is also an original cosponsor of the Infant Formula Safety Modernization Act , comprehensive bipartisan legislation to modernize federal oversight of the nation’s infant formula supply and close longstanding gaps in testing, transparency, and regulatory enforcement.