[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4149 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4149

  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

                             April 17, 2024

Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Risch) 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 
2024''.

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 
                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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