NEWS

The waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule went into effect on March 20. After hearing from the housing, infrastructure, and agriculture sectors, the U.S. Senate approved a resolution against it, as did the House of Representatives. The resolution of disapproval will be sent to the President's desk, where President Biden will likely veto it. However, the Supreme Court is expected to rule soon in a case that questions what waterways the government can regulate.

DHA joined the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition in thanking Senator Thune for introducing the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2023 to permanently repeal the estate tax. The temporary increase in the estate tax exemption from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will expire at the end of 2025, increasing uncertainty and planning costs. Action is needed to protect family-owned businesses.

Resource:

DHA joined the Forest Resource Association and others in a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee in support of farm bill provisions to establish training programs on the workforce needs of the forest industry. DHA also supported an effort led by the Hardwood Federation requesting funding to assess and ultimately reward carbon stored in wood products.
 

Resource:

The Department of Commerce issued a preliminary affirmative scope ruling that wooden cabinets, vanities, and components from China are covered in the circumvention case on cabinets from Malaysia and Vietnam. The agency rejected arguments from Cabinetworks and MasterBrand that certain parts of cabinets are not covered by the rule.

Resource:

The DHA American National Standard for Due Diligence in Procuring/Sourcing Legal Timber is now available for public comment through April 24, 2023. To request a copy of the revised standard, contact Josh Hosen, DHA Technical Director, at jhosen@decorativehardwoods.org. Submit all comments directly to jhosen@decorativehardwoods.org, cc: psa@ansi.org.