Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9080 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9080

  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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 29, 2026

 Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself and Ms. Salinas) introduced
      the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on
   Armed Services, 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 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
2026''.

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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