ALEXANDRIA, VA - Those of you reading IWPA eNews updates over the last few weeks will know we had been preparing for a vote on the Lacey Act next week in the House. However, that vote has been pulled from the floor schedule, with no time for a rescheduled vote given.

Unfortunately, it appears as though HR 3210 The RELIEF Act has fallen victim to extreme rhetoric from our opposition, who have stated that any changes to the Lacey Act would destroy U.S. jobs. As all of you know, any argument that cites U.S.jobs lost - especially in an election year - is a hard argument to overcome, no matter how incorrect it is.

IWPA and the larger Coalition we have been working with have always tried to be realistic in our expectations; we knew that an election year vote was going to be difficult. Nevertheless, we are very disappointed that when facts and rhetoric collide, it was rhetoric that won.

While we are unsure whether a vote will be rescheduled for later this Congress, rest assured that the over 100 Hill visits our Coalition has made, the lasting relationships on the Hill we have formed, and the strength and breadth of our Coalition will certainly help us bring this to a vote next Congress if not this one.

IWPA has been active in the fight to amend the Lacey Act since we first saw the unintended consequences of the 2008 amendments, a role we will continue to fulfill until the day we see the targeted changes made that our businesses need.

Source: International Wood Products Assn.