Bill > S3721

This bill, the Strengthen Wood Products Supply Chain Act of 2024, aims to prescribe requirements for plants detained by the Secretary of the Interior on suspicion of a violation of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981. The key provisions include: 1. Requiring the Secretary to either release the detained plants or issue a notice of detention within 5 days (excluding weekends and federal holidays) after the plants are presented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for physical examination. 2. Mandating that the notice of detention include specific details about the reasons for detention, the anticipated length of detention, the nature of the tests or inquiries to be conducted, and the information that could accelerate the disposition of the detention. 3. Allowing the importer to apply to transport the detained plants under bond to a location other than one under the control of the Secretary. 4. Requiring the Secretary to provide the importer with the results and details of any testing conducted on the plants. 5. Requiring the Secretary to allow the plants to be transported outside the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection for storage within 10 days of issuing the notice of detention, if certain conditions are met. 6. Establishing a 30-day timeline for the Secretary to make a final determination on the admissibility of the detained plants, and treating the failure to do so as a decision to exclude the plants. 7. Allowing the importer to submit a protest to the Secretary's decision to exclude the plants, and providing a process for the importer to petition a court for an order regarding the detained or excluded plants. This bill aims to streamline the process for handling plants detained under the Lacey Act, providing more transparency and timely decision-making for importers.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3721/all-info