119-s2598

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2598 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2598

 To expand research relating to the use of forest products, to support 
 research and technologies of the Forest Service, and to establish a 
 mass timber science and education program to respond to the emerging 
 research needs of architects, developers, and the forest products 
 industry.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 31, 2025

 Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Daines, Mr. Warnock, and Mr. Justice) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To expand research relating to the use of forest products, to support 
 research and technologies of the Forest Service, and to establish a 
 mass timber science and education program to respond to the emerging 
 research needs of architects, developers, and the forest products 
 industry.

 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 ``Forest Bioeconomy Act''.

SEC. 2. BIOECONOMY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

    (a) Forest Products Research.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), in coordination 
with the Secretary of Energy, shall expand research relating to the use 
of wood--

    (1) to facilitate the establishment of new markets, 
 including nontraditional markets, for material produced from 
 forest management projects that typically has little or no 
 commercial value;

    (2) to increase the economic viability of manufacturing 
 products using material described in paragraph

    (1) ; and

    (3) as a feedstock for the production of renewable fuel, 
 including sustainable aviation fuel.

    (b) Office of Technology Transfer.--

    (1) Establishment.--There is established within the Forest 
 Service an Office of Technology Transfer (referred to this 
 subsection as the ``Office'').

    (2) Mission.--The mission of the Office shall be--
        (A) to expand the commercial impact of the research 
 investments of the Forest Service; and
        (B) to provide for the commercialization of 
 technologies that support the mission of the Forest 
 Service.

    (3) Chief commercialization officer.--
        (A) In general.--The Office shall be headed by an 
 officer, who shall--
            (i) be known as the ``Chief 
 Commercialization Officer''; and
            (ii) report to the Deputy Chief of the 
 Forest Service for Research and Development.
        (B) Qualifications.--An individual appointed to the 
 position of Chief Commercialization Officer shall be an 
 individual who, by reason of professional background 
 and experience, is specially qualified to advise the 
 Chief of the Forest Service and the Deputy Chief of the 
 Forest Service for Research and Development on 
 technology transfer at the Forest Service.
            (C) Duties.--The Chief Commercialization Officer 
 shall--
            (i) oversee the expenditure of funds 
 allocated for technology transfer within the 
 Forest Service;
            (ii) represent the Forest Service on--
            (I) the Federal Laboratory 
 Consortium for Technology Transfer 
 established by 

section 11

    (e) of the 
 Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation 
 Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710

    (e) ); and
            (II) other similar interagency 
 coordinating entities;
            (iii) coordinate with--
            (I) other technology transfer and 
 commercialization offices within the 
 Department of Agriculture; and
            (II) other similar Federal 
 entities, as appropriate;
            (iv) oversee efforts to engage with private 
 sector entities, including venture capital 
 companies, on issues relating to technology 
 transfer and commercialization; and
            (v) coordinate efforts to patent or 
 otherwise protect under title 35, United States 
 Code, any inventions arising from a Forest 
 Service laboratory.

    (4) Technology transfer working group.--
        (A) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish 
 within the Forest Service a Technology Transfer Working 
 Group, which shall consist of--
            (i) the Deputy Chief of the Forest Service 
 for Research and Development;
            (ii) the Chief Commercialization Officer 
 appointed under paragraph

    (3) ;
            (iii) representatives from each research 
 station within the Forest Service; and
            (iv) representatives from other Forest 
 Service entities with relevant expertise, as 
 appropriate.
        (B) Duties.--The Technology Transfer Working Group 
 established under subparagraph
        (A) shall--
            (i) assist with the coordination of 
 technology transfer and commercialization 
 opportunities occurring at Forest Service 
 laboratories;
            (ii) develop and disseminate guidance to 
 researchers at Forest Service laboratories on 
 technology transfer and commercialization 
 requirements under the Stevenson-Wydler 
 Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
 3701 et seq.) and associated agreements to 
 implement those requirements; and
            (iii) develop and disseminate to the public 
 and prospective technology partners information 
 about opportunities and procedures for 
 technology transfer with the Forest Service.
            (C) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
 of enactment of this Act, the Technology Transfer 
 Working Group established under subparagraph
        (A) shall 
 submit to Congress a report that describes--
            (i) the number of cooperative research and 
 development agreements entered into by the 
 Forest Service under 

section 12 of the 
 Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) during the preceding 5 
 years;
            (ii) the number of agreements with 
 partnership intermediaries entered into by the 
 Forest Service under 

section 23 of the 
 Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3715) during the preceding 5 
 years;
            (iii) the number of licenses and other use 
 authorizations issued by the Forest Service for 
 patents held by the Forest Service during the 
 preceding 5 years; and
            (iv) recommendations for legislative, 
 programmatic, or regulatory changes to support 
 the mission of the Office.

    (5) Key performance indicators.--Beginning with the first 
 year after the report under paragraph

    (4)
            (C) is submitted, and 
 each year thereafter, the President shall include in the budget 
 of the United States Government submitted to Congress under 
 

section 1105 of title 31, United States Code--
        (A) the number of cooperative research and 
 development agreements entered into by the Forest 
 Service under 

section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler 
 Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) 
 during the preceding year;
        (B) the number of agreements with partnership 
 intermediaries entered into by the Forest Service under 
 

section 23 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
 Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3715) during the 
 preceding year; and
            (C) the number of licenses or other use 
 authorizations issued by the Forest Service for patents 
 held by the Forest Service during the preceding year.

    (6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
 to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
 subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
            (c) National Forest Foundation Activities.--

Section 402

    (b)

    (3) of 
the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j

    (b)

    (3) ) is amended by 
striking ``cooperative forestry'' and inserting ``technology transfer, 
commercialization, cooperative forestry,''.
            (d) Small Business Voucher Pilot Program.--

    (1) Establishment.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
 Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the Small Business 
 Administration, shall establish an innovation voucher pilot 
 program to accelerate product development, demonstration, and 
 commercialization in the forest products sector.

    (2) Vouchers.--Under the pilot program established under 
 paragraph

    (1) , the Secretary shall provide vouchers to small 
 business concerns (as defined in 

section 3 of the Small 
 Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) to be used at research facilities 
 of the Forest Service for research, development, demonstration, 
 technology transfer, skills training and workforce development, 
 or commercial application activities.

    (3) Cost sharing.--
        (A) Basic research.--The Secretary may require up 
 to 20 percent of the cost of a voucher provided under 
 paragraph

    (2) for a research or development activity 
 that is of a basic or fundamental nature, at the 
 discretion of the Secretary, to be provided by a non-
 Federal source.
        (B) Applied research.--Except as provided in 
 subparagraph
            (D) , the Secretary shall require not less 
 than 20 percent of the cost of a voucher provided under 
 paragraph

    (2) for a research or development activity 
 that is not of a basic or fundamental nature, at the 
 discretion of the Secretary, to be provided by a non-
 Federal source.
            (C) Demonstration and commercial application.--
 Except as provided in subparagraph
            (D) , the Secretary 
 shall require not less than 50 percent of the cost of a 
 voucher provided under paragraph

    (2) for a 
 demonstration or commercial application activity to be 
 provided by a non-Federal source.
            (D) Reduction in cost-share.--The Secretary may 
 reduce a non-Federal share required under subparagraph
        (B) or
            (C) if the Secretary determines the reduction to 
 be necessary and appropriate, taking into account any 
 technological risk relating to the activity.

    (4) Termination.--The authorities provided under this 
 subsection (except for paragraph

    (5) ) shall expire on September 
 30, 2031.

    (5) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the termination 
 of the pilot program under paragraph

    (4) , the Secretary shall 
 submit to Congress a report describing the outcomes of the 
 pilot program, including any recommendations to improve the 
 pilot program.

SEC. 3. JOINT MASS TIMBER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Mass timber.--The term ``mass timber'' includes--
        (A) cross-laminated timber;
        (B) nail laminated timber;
            (C) glue laminated timber;
            (D) dowel laminated timber;
        (E) laminated strand lumber; and
        (F) laminated veneer lumber.

    (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Agriculture, acting through the Deputy Chief of the Forest 
 Service for Research and Development.

    (3) Tall wood building.--The term ``tall wood building'' 
 means a building designed to be--
        (A) constructed with mass timber; and
        (B)
            (i) in the case of a residential building, more 
 than 4 stories in height; or
            (ii) in the case of a commercial building, more 
 than 5 stories in height.

    (b) Mass Timber Science and Education Program.--The Secretary shall 
establish a mass timber science and education program to respond to the 
emerging research needs of architects, real estate developers, and the 
forest products industry.
            (c) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate with research 
programs at colleges and universities in administering the mass timber 
science and education program established under subsection

    (b) to 
supplement the current research and educational efforts of colleges and 
universities.
            (d) === Purposes ===
-The mass timber science and education program 
established under subsection

    (b) shall have the following principal 
purposes:

    (1) To provide practical research responsive to the needs 
 of architects, real estate developers, and the forest products 
 industry, including assessments of carbon impacts in the 
 originating forests and the end use of mass timber in the built 
 environment.

    (2) To develop focused, strategic lines of new research 
 responsive to the needs described in paragraph

    (1) , including 
 research relating to flammability and performance during a 
 fire, structural characteristics, energy use and savings, 
 acoustics, and slab construction composed of hybrid materials.

    (3) To solicit competitive funding proposals from 
 scientists selected through a rigorous peer-review process 
 designed to ensure the best projects are funded.

    (4) To disseminate research findings so that architects, 
 real estate developers, and the forest products industry are 
 aware of, understand, and can use the information to make sound 
 decisions and implement projects.

    (5) To develop and facilitate the voluntary adoption of a 
 curriculum for building structures using mass timber for use in 
 schools of engineering and architecture that includes--
        (A) structural design; and
        (B) the possibilities, benefits, and limitations of 
 using mass timber in construction.

    (e) Mass Timber Strategy.--Not later than September 30, 2026, the 
Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a 
strategy to carry out the mass timber science and education program 
established under subsection

    (b) that includes--

    (1) an assessment of the current state of knowledge about 
 mass timber and tall wood buildings;

    (2) an integrated approach to improve knowledge sharing on 
 the manufacturing and use of mass timber products;

    (3) an approach for mass timber project monitoring and 
 evaluation; and

    (4) an approach for setting research priorities for the 
 program.

    (f) Stakeholder Advisory Group.--

    (1) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint a stakeholder 
 advisory group of technical experts that consists, at a 
 minimum, of--
        (A) a Forest Service scientist;
        (B) a researcher from a college or university;
            (C) a representative of a trade association;
            (D) an architect or real estate developer;
        (E) a representative of an agency or unit of a 
 local government that is responsible for the issuance 
 of permits for building construction (commonly known as 
 a ``local approving agency'');
        (F) a representative of a forest products company; 
 and
        (G) a representative of a nongovernmental 
 organization with experience--
            (i) designing or constructing tall wood 
 buildings; or
            (ii) complying with or revising related 
 building codes.

    (2) Duties.--The stakeholder advisory group shall meet at 
 least annually--
        (A) to consider immediate and long-term science 
 needs relating to the use of mass timber and the 
 construction of tall wood buildings;
        (B) to suggest to the Secretary appropriate topic 
 areas, specific issues within those topic areas, and 
 information transfer needs for which the Secretary 
 shall solicit proposals described in subsection
            (d) (3) ; 
 and
            (C) to assist the Secretary in drafting the 
 strategy required under subsection

    (e) .

    (g) Availability of Appropriations.--From amounts appropriated for 
Forest Service research, excluding funding made available for the 
Forest Inventory and Analysis program, the Secretary may use not more 
than $4,000,000 to carry out the activities described in this section.
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