I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1380 

To clarify research and development for wood products, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 7, 2017 

Ms. DELBENE (for herself, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. KILMER, Mr. 

THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. 

WESTERMAN, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. SCHRADER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. WELCH, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, and Mr. 

HARPER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Science, 

Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To clarify research and development for wood products, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Timber Innovation Act 

5 of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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1 (1) INNOVATIVE WOOD PRODUCT.—The term 

2 ‘‘innovative wood product’’ means a type of building 

3 component or system that uses large panelized wood 

4 construction, including mass timber. 

5 (2) MASS TIMBER.—The term ‘‘mass timber’’ 

6 includes— 

7 (A) cross-laminated timber; 

8 (B) nail laminated timber; 

9 (C) glue laminated timber; 

10 (D) laminated strand lumber; and 

11 (E) laminated veneer lumber. 

12 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Re14 search and Development deputy area and the State 

15 and Private Forestry deputy area of the Forest 

16 Service. 

17 (4) TALL WOOD BUILDING.—The term ‘‘tall 

18 wood building’’ means a building designed to be— 

19 (A) constructed with mass timber; and 

20 (B) more than 85 feet in height. 

21 SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

22 PROGRAM FOR WOOD BUILDING CONSTRUC23 TION. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct per25 formance-driven research and development, education, and 


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1 technical assistance for the purpose of facilitating the use 

2 of innovative wood products in wood building construction 

3 in the United States. 

4 (b) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 

5 Secretary shall— 

6 (1) after receipt of input and guidance from, 

7 and collaboration with, the wood products industry, 

8 conservation organizations, and institutions of high9 er education, conduct research and development, 

10 education, and technical assistance at the Forest 

11 Products Laboratory or through the State and Pri12 vate Forestry deputy area that meets measurable 

13 performance goals for the achievement of the prior14 ities described in subsection (c); and 

15 (2) after coordination and collaboration with 

16 the wood products industry and conservation organi17 zations, make competitive grants to institutions of 

18 higher education to conduct research and develop19 ment, education, and technical assistance that meets 

20 measurable performance goals for the achievement 

21 of the priorities described in subsection (c). 

22 (c) PRIORITIES.—The research and development, 

23 education, and technical assistance conducted under sub24 section (a) shall give priority to— 


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1 (1) ways to improve the commercialization of 

2 innovative wood products; 

3 (2) analyzing the safety of tall wood building 

4 materials; 

5 (3) calculations by the Forest Products Labora6 tory of the life cycle environmental footprint, from 

7 extraction of raw materials through the manufac8 turing process, of tall wood building construction; 

9 (4) analyzing methods to reduce the life cycle 

10 environmental footprint of tall wood building con11 struction; 

12 (5) analyzing the potential implications of the 

13 use of innovative wood products in building con14 struction on wildlife; and 

15 (6) one or more other research areas identified 

16 by the Secretary, in consultation with conservation 

17 organizations, institutions of higher education, and 

18 the wood products industry. 

19 (d) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent prac20 ticable, the measurable performance goals for the research 

21 and development, education, and technical assistance con22 ducted under subsection (a) shall be achievable within a 

23 5-year timeframe. 


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1 SEC. 4. TALL WOOD BUILDING COMPETITION. 

2 Subject to availability of appropriations, not less fre3 quently than once during each fiscal year for the period 

4 of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, the Secretary shall 

5 carry out a competition for a tall wood building design, 

6 or other innovative wood product demonstration, in ac7 cordance with section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Tech8 nology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719). 

9 SEC. 5. WOOD INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti12 ty’’ means— 

13 (A) an individual; 

14 (B) a public or private entity (including a 

15 center of excellence that consists of one or more 

16 partnerships between forestry, engineering, ar17 chitecture, or business schools at one or more 

18 institutions of higher education); or 

19 (C) a State, local, or tribal government. 

20 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

21 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

22 Chief of the Forest Service. 

23 (b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary, in car24 rying out the wood innovation grant program of the Sec25 retary described in the notice of the Secretary entitled 

26 ‘‘Request for Proposals: 2016 Wood Innovations Funding 


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1 Opportunity’’ (80 Fed. Reg. 63498 (October 20, 2015)), 

2 may make a wood innovation grant to one or more eligible 

3 entities each year for the purpose of advancing the use 

4 of innovative wood products. 

5 (c) INCENTIVIZING USE OF EXISTING MILLING CA6 PACITY.—In selecting among proposals of eligible entities 

7 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority to 

8 proposals that include the use or retrofitting (or both) of 

9 existing sawmill facilities located in counties in which the 

10 average annual unemployment rate exceeded the national 

11 average unemployment rate by more than 1 percent in the 

12 previous calendar year. 

13 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—As a condition of re14 ceiving a grant under subsection (b), an eligible entity 

15 shall provide funds equal to the amount the eligible entity 

16 receives under the grant, to be derived from non-Federal 

17 sources. 

Æ 


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