Strengthen Wood Product Supply Chains Act of 2025

This bill, called the Strengthen Wood Product Supply Chains Act of 2025, sets clear rules and timelines for how the government detains and inspects imported fish, wildlife, and plant products under the Lacey Act. It aims to make enforcement faster and fairer by requiring prompt notices, sharing test results, and giving importers a clear path to challenge delays or seizures.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Importers of fish, wildlife, and plant products sold in the U.S., including wood products.
• What changes:
  • Within 5 days of detaining goods, the agency must either send the importer a notice explaining why, how long it may take, what tests will be done, and what info could speed things up, or release the goods.
  • Within 10 days after the notice, importers can move the detained goods to a non‑U.S. location if they ask, pay storage fees, post a bond, and the move won’t undermine the law’s purpose.
  • If tests are done, importers get the results and enough detail to repeat the tests themselves.
  • Within 30 days of detention, the agency must either release the goods or seize them; if it doesn’t act, it counts as a seizure, and the importer can seek review.
  • After an importer asks for an administrative review, the agency has 30 days to either release the goods or confirm the seizure; if not released, the importer may take the case to court, where a judge can order the goods released unless the agency shows a good reason a final decision isn’t ready.