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. SCHRA-
DER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. WELCH, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, and Mr. 
HARPER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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. 
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 ‘‘Timber Innovation Act 
of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) INNOVATIVE
WOOD
PRODUCT.—The term 
‘‘innovative wood product’’ means a type of building 
component or system that uses large panelized wood 
construction, including mass timber. 
(2) MASS TIMBER.—The term ‘‘mass timber’’ 
includes— 
(A) cross-laminated timber; 
(B) nail laminated timber; 
(C) glue laminated timber; 
(D) laminated strand lumber; and 
(E) laminated veneer lumber. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Re-
search and Development deputy area and the State 
and Private Forestry deputy area of the Forest 
Service. 
(4) TALL
WOOD
BUILDING.—The term ‘‘tall 
wood building’’ means a building designed to be— 
(A) constructed with mass timber; and 
(B) more than 85 feet in height. 
SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAM FOR WOOD BUILDING CONSTRUC-
TION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct per-
formance-driven research and development, education, and 
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(1) ways to improve the commercialization of 
innovative wood products; 
(2) analyzing the safety of tall wood building 
materials; 
(3) calculations by the Forest Products Labora-
tory of the life cycle environmental footprint, from 
extraction of raw materials through the manufac-
turing process, of tall wood building construction; 
(4) analyzing methods to reduce the life cycle 
environmental footprint of tall wood building con-
struction; 
(5) analyzing the potential implications of the 
use of innovative wood products in building con-
struction on wildlife; and 
(6) one or more other research areas identified 
by the Secretary, in consultation with conservation 
organizations, institutions of higher education, and 
the wood products industry. 
(d) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the measurable performance goals for the research 
and development, education, and technical assistance con-
ducted under subsection (a) shall be achievable within a 
5-year timeframe. 
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SEC. 4. TALL WOOD BUILDING COMPETITION. 
Subject to availability of appropriations, not less fre-
quently than once during each fiscal year for the period 
of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, the Secretary shall 
carry out a competition for a tall wood building design, 
or other innovative wood product demonstration, in ac-
cordance with section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Tech-
nology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719). 
SEC. 5. WOOD INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) an individual; 
(B) a public or private entity (including a 
center of excellence that consists of one or more 
partnerships between forestry, engineering, ar-
chitecture, or business schools at one or more 
institutions of higher education); or 
(C) a State, local, or tribal government. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 
Chief of the Forest Service. 
(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary, in car-
rying out the wood innovation grant program of the Sec-
retary described in the notice of the Secretary entitled 
‘‘Request for Proposals: 2016 Wood Innovations Funding 
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Opportunity’’ (80 Fed. Reg. 63498 (October 20, 2015)), 
may make a wood innovation grant to one or more eligible 
entities each year for the purpose of advancing the use 
of innovative wood products. 
(c) INCENTIVIZING USE OF EXISTING MILLING CA-
PACITY.—In selecting among proposals of eligible entities 
under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority to 
proposals that include the use or retrofitting (or both) of 
existing sawmill facilities located in counties in which the 
average annual unemployment rate exceeded the national 
average unemployment rate by more than 1 percent in the 
previous calendar year. 
(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—As a condition of re-
ceiving a grant under subsection (b), an eligible entity 
shall provide funds equal to the amount the eligible entity 
receives under the grant, to be derived from non-Federal 
sources. 
Æ 
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