FOREST Act of 2021

Summary

Fostering Overseas Rule of law and Environmentally Sound Trade Act of 2021 or the FOREST Act of 2021 This bill restricts certain commodities produced on illegally deforested land from accessing the U.S. market. Specifically, the bill prohibits the importation of any product made wholly or in part of a covered commodity produced from illegally deforested land. The bill outlines requirements for import declarations of covered commodities. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) must, within 30 days, publish (1) an initial list of covered commodities that consists of palm oil, soybeans, cocoa, cattle, rubber, and wood pulp; and (2) an initial list of covered products that are defined by the bill in accordance with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. These lists must be updated at least on an annual basis. Further, the USTR must identify foreign countries without adequate and effective protection against illegal deforestation caused by the production of commodities that are likely to enter the United States. The USTR must develop an action plan that includes benchmarks for each identified country. Additionally, the bill creates an interagency working group to provide advice and recommendations to the USTR, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other relevant agencies. The bill provides funding to assist foreign governments in combating illegal deforestation. The bill also includes illegal deforestation as a specified unlawful activity under a federal financial crime statute. The bill establishes a federal procurement preference for commodities that are not produced from land subject to deforestation.

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Timeline

1. 6 October 2021

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 6 October 2021

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 6 October 2021 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 6 October 2021

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 6 October 2021

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 6 October 2021

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Brian Schatz · D · Sponsor
• Christopher Murphy · D · Sponsor
• Sheldon Whitehouse · D · Sponsor
• Martin Heinrich · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] · D · Sponsor
• Jeff Merkley · D · Sponsor
• Christopher Coons · D · Sponsor
• Elizabeth Warren · D · Sponsor
• Edward Markey · D · Cosponsor
• · ssfi00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← FOREST Act of 2021