[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1094 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1094
To establish a contracting preference for public buildings that use
innovative wood products in the construction of those buildings, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 24, 2025
Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Crapo)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a contracting preference for public buildings that use
innovative wood products in the construction of those buildings, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. MADE IN AMERICA MASS TIMBER.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of General Services.
(2) Innovative wood product.--The term ``innovative wood
product'' has the meaning given the term in section 8641 of the
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655c note;
Public Law 115-334).
(3) Innovative wood product facility.--The term
``innovative wood product facility'' has the meaning given the
term in section 9013(a) of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8113(a)).
(4) Mass timber.--The term ``mass timber'' has the meaning
given the term in section 8641 of the Agriculture Improvement
Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7655c note; Public Law 115-334).
(5) Public building.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
(B), the term ``public building'' has the meaning given
the term in section 3301(a) of title 40, United States
Code.
(B) Inclusion.--The term ``public building''
includes a military installation (as defined in section
2801(c) of title 10, United States Code).
(6) Restoration practices.--The term ``restoration
practices'' means forest management practices based on forest
type that re-establish or enhance ecosystem functions by--
(A) modifying or managing the composition,
structure, and spatial arrangement of forest components
for complexity and diversity; and
(B) establishing or re-establishing processes
necessary to make forest and connected aquatic
ecosystems ecologically functional, resilient to
disturbance, or adaptive.
(7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Defense.
(b) Made in America Mass Timber Public Buildings Contracting
Preference.--
(1) Contracting preference.--
(A) In general.--In entering into a contract for
the construction, alteration, acquisition, or lease of
a public building, the Administrator or the Secretary,
as applicable, shall give priority to public buildings
that use, to the maximum extent achievable as
determined by the Administrator or the Secretary, as
applicable, innovative wood products in the
construction of those buildings that are--
(i) procured from an innovative wood
product facility located within the United
States; and
(ii) harvested from forestlands located
within the United States, consistent with
responsible sources.
(B) Responsible sources.--For purposes of
subparagraph (A)(ii), innovative wood products produced
from responsible sources are--
(i) produced according to an independently
certified procurement standard; or
(ii) from jurisdictions with regulatory or
quasi-regulatory programs to implement best
management practices, including from Federal,
State, and Tribal land.
(2) Contracts and priority.--
(A) In general.--In procuring innovative wood
products for purposes of carrying out the requirements
of paragraph (1), the Administrator or the Secretary,
as applicable, shall--
(i) consider appropriate contracting
options; and
(ii) give preference to innovative wood
products that are sourced from--
(I) restoration practices;
(II) forest management actions
designed to protect communities and
critical infrastructure against
catastrophic wildfire; or
(III) underserved forest owners, as
determined by the Secretary of
Agriculture, including Tribally owned
forests and small family forests.
(B) Documentation required.--For purposing of
verifying that an innovative wood product is sourced in
accordance with subclause (I), (II), or (III) of
subparagraph (A)(ii), the Administrator or the
Secretary, as applicable, shall seek appropriate
documentation.
(3) Lifecycle assessment; report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in
consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall
conduct a cradle-to-gate whole-building lifecycle
assessment considering the global warming potential, in
compliance with International Organization for
Standardization standards 14044 and 14020, of new
public buildings that use innovative wood products in
the construction of those buildings.
(B) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date
on which the whole-building lifecycle assessment
required under subparagraph (A) is completed, the
Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of
Agriculture, shall submit to Congress, and make
publicly available, a report describing the results of
that assessment.
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