I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7157 
To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to ensure fair enforcement 
of such Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 31, 2024 
Mr. DUARTE (for himself and Mr. COSTA) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to ensure 
fair enforcement of such Act. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthen Wood 
Product Supply Chains Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FAIR ENFORCEMENT OF LACEY ACT AMENDMENTS 
OF 1981. 
Section 6 of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 
U.S.C. 3375) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) MERCHANDISE DETAINED FOR INSPECTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—If a person authorized 
under subsection (a) to enforce this Act detains mer-
chandise under this section, the Secretary shall, not 
later than 5 days after the date on which such de-
tention is initiated— 
‘‘(A) issue to the importer of such detained 
merchandise a notice of detention; or 
‘‘(B) release to such importer the detained 
merchandise. 
‘‘(2) NOTICE OF DETENTION.—A notice of de-
tention described in paragraph (1)(A) shall include 
the following: 
‘‘(A) A statement of the initiation of the 
detention, including the date on which the de-
tained merchandise was detained for inspection. 
‘‘(B) A specific reason for the detention. 
‘‘(C) The anticipated length of the deten-
tion. 
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‘‘(D) A description of the tests or inquiries 
the Secretary will conduct with regard to the 
detained merchandise. 
‘‘(E) A description of information, if any, 
that, if supplied to the Secretary, may accel-
erate the disposition of the detention. 
‘‘(3) TRANSPORTATION
OF
DETAINED
MER-
CHANDISE TO OTHER LOCATION.—Not later than 10 
days after the date on which the Secretary issues a 
notice of detention under paragraph (1) for detained 
merchandise, the Secretary shall allow the importer 
of such detained merchandise to transport such de-
tained merchandise to a location that is not under 
the control of the United States if— 
‘‘(A) the importer— 
‘‘(i) requests the transfer; 
‘‘(ii) pays all demurrage and storage 
fees associated with the detained merchan-
dise; and 
‘‘(iii) provides a bond for removal 
from the custody of the United States; and 
‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that such 
transportation will not frustrate the intent of 
this Act. 
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‘‘(4) REPLICATION OF TESTS.—If the Secretary 
conducts tests on detained merchandise, the Sec-
retary shall provide the importer of such detained 
merchandise with— 
‘‘(A) the results of such tests; and 
‘‘(B) information sufficient for the im-
porter to replicate such tests. 
‘‘(5) RELEASE OR SEIZURE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 30 
days after the date on which merchandise is de-
tained for inspection under this section, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) release such detained merchan-
dise to the importer of such detained mer-
chandise; or 
‘‘(ii) seize such detained merchandise 
and issue a notification to the importer of 
such detained merchandise that such de-
tained merchandise has been seized. 
‘‘(B) FAILURE TO RELEASE OR SEIZE.—If 
the Secretary fails to release or seize detained 
merchandise under subparagraph (A) within the 
time period described in that subparagraph, 
such failure shall be deemed a seizure under 
subparagraph (A)(ii). 
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‘‘(6) ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—An importer of de-
tained merchandise may submit to the Sec-
retary a request for administrative review of a 
seizure or deemed seizure of such detained mer-
chandise under subparagraph (A)(ii) or (B) of 
paragraph (5), respectively. 
‘‘(B) DISPOSITION
OF
REQUEST.—Not 
later than 30 days after the date on which a re-
quest for administrative review is submitted by 
an importer under subparagraph (A), the Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(i) release to such importer the de-
tained merchandise that is the subject of 
such request; or 
‘‘(ii) affirm the seizure or deemed sei-
zure under subparagraph (A)(ii) or (B) of 
paragraph (5), respectively, that is the 
subject of such request. 
‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY TO FILE CLAIM.—If the 
Secretary, pursuant to a request for administra-
tive review submitted by an importer of de-
tained merchandise under subparagraph (A)— 
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‘‘(i) affirms the seizure or deemed sei-
zure of such detained merchandise under 
subparagraph (B)(ii); or 
‘‘(ii) fails to release or affirm the sei-
zure or deemed seizure of such detained 
merchandise under clause (i) or (ii) of sub-
paragraph (B), respectively, within the 
time period described in subparagraph (B); 
the importer that submitted such request may 
file a claim for relief in the appropriate district 
court of the United States. 
‘‘(7) COURT PROCEEDINGS.—In a claim filed 
under paragraph (6)(C)(ii), the court shall grant ap-
propriate relief to the importer of detained merchan-
dise that filed such claim, which may include an 
order to release such detained merchandise to such 
importer, unless the Secretary establishes by a pre-
ponderance of the evidence that an admissibility de-
cision with respect to such detained merchandise has 
not been reached for good cause. 
‘‘(8) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) 
DETAINED
MERCHANDISE.—The 
term ‘detained merchandise’ means merchan-
dise that is detained for inspection under this 
section. 
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‘‘(B) MERCHANDISE.—The term ‘merchan-
dise’ means any fish or wildlife or plant im-
ported for sale.’’. 
Æ 
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