SAWMILL Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6277 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6277

To establish requirements under which the Secretary of Agriculture and 
  the Secretary of the Interior shall carry out the Timber Production 
                   Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 21, 2025

  Mr. Newhouse (for himself and Ms. Sewell) introduced the following 
   bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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

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                                 A BILL


 
To establish requirements under which the Secretary of Agriculture and 
  the Secretary of the Interior shall carry out the Timber Production 
                   Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program.

    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 ``Supporting American Wood and Mill 
Infrastructure with Loans for Longevity Act'' or the ``SAWMILL Act''.

SEC. 2. TIMBER PRODUCTION EXPANSION GUARANTEED LOAN PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
        individual or entity that owns or operates a sawmill or other 
        wood-processing facility located in a rural area (as defined in 
        section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
        Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a))) of the United States.
            (2) Eligible federal land.--The term ``eligible Federal 
        land'' means any unit of Federal land, including Indian forest 
        land or rangeland, that has been identified by the Secretary, 
        in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior, as high or 
        very high priority for ecological restoration involving 
        vegetation removal under subsection (b).
            (3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Timber 
        Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program of the Department 
        of Agriculture.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    (b) Identification of Eligible Federal Land.--Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than 
once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary, in coordination with the 
Secretary of the Interior, shall--
            (1) review Federal land under the jurisdiction of the 
        Secretary or the Secretary of the Interior; and
            (2) identify units of Federal land that, as determined by 
        the Secretaries, are high or very high priority for ecological 
        restoration involving vegetation removal.
    (c) Loan Guarantees.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
        Secretary of the Interior, shall provide loan guarantees under 
        the Program to eligible entities seeking to establish, reopen, 
        retrofit, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood-processing 
        facility located within a 250-mile radius of, a unit of 
        eligible Federal land, if the presence of a sawmill or other 
        wood-processing facility would, or does, substantially decrease 
        the cost of conducting ecological restoration projects 
        involving vegetation removal on the eligible Federal land, as 
        determined by the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (2) Conditions.--A loan guarantee under the Program shall 
        be provided in accordance with such conditions as the Secretary 
        determines to be necessary.
            (3) Maximum amount.--The Secretary may provide a total of 
        not more than $220,000,000 in loan guarantees under the 
        Program.
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