PRIA Logo™
LouisianaSB 2352026 Regular SessionSenate

PUBLIC CONTRACTS: Provides relative to payments under contract by public entities. (gov sig) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

Sponsored By: Glen Womack (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Transportation, Highways and Public WorksFinance

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Stronger payment rights, fee risks for contractors

Louisiana public entities cannot withhold contested liquidated damages—damages set by contract—from money owed to public works contractors, except under R.S. 38:2248(C). Paying the contested amount does not block the entity from seeking those damages through a regular court case. The winning side is entitled to reasonable lawyer fees. An entity recovering damages gets interest of 0.5% per day, accumulated daily and capped at 15%, starting when it paid the contested amount. Contractors can seek a court order, called mandamus, for stage or final payments withheld or delayed arbitrarily without reasonable cause. Payment orders are limited to sums owed within the contract's approved funding, including authorized changes, with lawyer fees and interest allowed by law. Contractors may owe reasonable lawyer fees if the public entity wins; the entity's damages claim stays outside this court process. Contracts cannot waive these payment protections. Declaring a contract void for violating public bidding law does not erase amounts owed for work performed, including overhead and profit. The act takes effect upon governor signature or expiration of the constitutional signing period; after a veto override, the next day.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Glen Womack

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

  • Joy Walters

    Democratic • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 146 • No: 0

House vote • 5/12/2026

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

Yes: 93 • No: 0

House vote • 5/5/2026

Reported favorably

Yes: 16 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/22/2026

Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

Yes: 37 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 255.

    5/15/2026Senate

  2. Effective date 5/15/2026.

    5/15/2026Senate

  3. Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.

    5/14/2026Senate

  4. Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.

    5/13/2026Senate

  5. Signed by the Speaker of the House.

    5/13/2026House

  6. Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

    5/12/2026House

  7. Received from the House without amendments.

    5/12/2026Senate

  8. Scheduled for floor debate on 05/12/2026.

    5/11/2026House

  9. Read by title, passed to 3rd reading.

    5/7/2026House

  10. Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

    5/6/2026House

  11. Reported favorably (16-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

    5/5/2026House

  12. Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

    4/27/2026House

  13. Received in the House from the Senate, read by title, lies over under the rules.

    4/23/2026House

  14. Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

    4/22/2026Senate

  15. Read by title. Committee amendments read and adopted. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.

    4/21/2026Senate

  16. Reported with amendments.

    4/20/2026Senate

  17. Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Finance.

    3/9/2026Senate

  18. Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Finance.

    2/26/2026Senate

Bill Text

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation