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HB170 • 2026

CONTRACTS: Provides relative to construction contracts

CONTRACTS: Provides relative to construction contracts

Energy
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Neil Riser
Last action
2026-05-15
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 132
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date of the act is not provided in the official summary text and needs to be referenced from the Act itself.

Construction Contracts Law

This act changes Louisiana's construction contract laws to make certain out-of-state dispute resolution clauses invalid and unenforceable.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines what a 'construction contract' is, including projects like building or repairing roads, bridges, and other structures.
  • Excludes specific types of contracts from the definition, such as those for dirt or gravel roads used to access oil and gas wells.
  • Declares that clauses requiring disputes in construction contracts to be resolved outside Louisiana are against state public policy and unenforceable.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who make or work on construction projects in Louisiana
  • Companies that enter into construction contracts with each other

Terms To Know

Construction contract
An agreement for building, repairing, altering, renovating, maintaining structures like buildings and roads.
Public policy
The principles that guide laws to protect the public interest.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not apply to negotiated labor contracts.
  • Effective date is specified in the Act, but it's not clearly stated here.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: SSHB170 4469 5082 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 170 2026 Regular Session Riser CONTRACTS: Provides relative to construction contracts Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.

  • SSHB170 4469 5082 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 170 2026 Regular Session Riser CONTRACTS: Provides relative to construction contracts Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.
  • Removes duplicative reference to chemical or petrochemical manufacturing facilities from the definition of "construction contract".
  • Digest of Bill as Finally Passed by Senate Present law provides relative to conflict of laws and the proper forum for disputes involving construction contracts, subcontracts, and purchase orders for public and private works projects.
  • Proposed law retains present law.

Plain English: HFAHB170 4469 2900 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Riser to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • HFAHB170 4469 2900 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Riser to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 170 by Representative Riser 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 2, line 26, after "Section" delete the remainder of the line and delete line 27 in its 3 entirety and insert a period "." 4 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 5 On page 2, after line 29, add the following: 6 "Section 2.

Plain English: HCAHB170 4469 2761 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB170 4469 2761 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure to Original House Bill No.
  • 170 by Representative Riser 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 2, between lines 4 and 5, insert the following: 3 "(d) Upstream, midstream, or downstream oil, gas, chemical, petrochemical, 4 or fuel manufacturing facilities or infrastructure, including refineries, processing 5 plants, chemical or petrochemical manufacturing facilities, terminals, or associated 6 appurtenant structures and facilities." Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Plain English: HCAHB170 4469 2605 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB170 4469 2605 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure to Original House Bill No.
  • 170 by Representative Riser 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 2, between lines 4 and 5, insert the following: 3 "(d) Upstream, midstream, or downstream oil, gas, chemical, petrochemical, 4 or fuel manufacturing facilities or infrastructure, including refineries, processing 5 plants, chemical or petrochemical manufacturing facilities, terminals, or associated 6 appurtenant structures and facilities." Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Plain English: 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1076 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 170 BY RISER CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/11/2026 Time: 3:17:35 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Mr.

  • 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1076 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 170 BY RISER CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/11/2026 Time: 3:17:35 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Mr.
  • Speaker Adams Amedee Bacala Bagley Bamburg Bayham Beaullieu Berault Billings Boudreaux Bourriaque Boyd Boyer Brass Braud Broussard Bryant Butler Carpenter Carrier Carter, R.
  • Carter, W.
  • Carver Chassion Chenevert Coates Cox Crews Deshotel Dewitt Dickerson Domangue Echols Egan Farnum Firment Fisher Fontenot Freeman Freiberg Gadberry Geymann Glorioso Green Hebert Henry, C.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-15 H

    Effective date: See Act.

  2. 2026-05-15 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 132.

  3. 2026-05-13 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-05-12 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-12 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-11 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 96, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-07 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/11/2026.

  8. 2026-05-06 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  9. 2026-05-05 S

    Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  10. 2026-04-27 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  11. 2026-04-22 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  12. 2026-04-21 S

    Reported favorably.

  13. 2026-04-13 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.

  14. 2026-04-08 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  15. 2026-04-07 H

    Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  16. 2026-04-01 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/07/2026.

  17. 2026-03-31 H

    Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  18. 2026-03-30 H

    Reported with amendments (5-0-1).

  19. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  20. 2026-02-20 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.

  21. 2026-02-18 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  22. 2026-02-18 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

CONTRACTS: Provides relative to construction contracts

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED
ACT No. 1322026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 170
BY REPRESENTATIVE RISER AND SENATOR CATHEY
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 9:2779, relative to construction contracts; to provide for
3 definitions; to provide for technical changes; and to provide for related matters.
4 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
5 Section 1. R.S. 9:2779 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
6 §2779. Construction contracts, subcontracts, and purchase orders; certain provisions
7 invalid
8 A.(1) For purposes of this Chapter, "construction contract" means any
9 agreement for the design, construction, alteration, renovation, repair, or maintenance
10 of a building, structure, highway, road, bridge, water line, sewer line, oil line, gas
11 line, appurtenance, or other improvement to real property, or repair or maintenance
12 of a highway, road, or bridge, including any moving, demolition, or excavation.
13 (2) "Construction contract" does not include any design, construction,
14 alteration, renovation, repair, or maintenance of the following:
15 (a) Any dirt or gravel road used to access oil and gas wells and associated
16 facilities.
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 170 ENROLLED
1 (b) Oil flow lines or gas gathering lines used in association with the
2 transportation of production from oil and gas wells from the point that oil and gas
3 becomes comingled for transportation to oil storage facilities or gas transmission
4 lines.
5 (c) Any deed, lease, easement, license, or other instrument granting an
6 interest in or the right to possess property even if the instrument includes the right
7 to design, construct, alter, renovate, repair, or maintain improvements on such real
8 property.
9 (d) Upstream, midstream, or downstream oil, gas, chemical, petrochemical,
10 or fuel manufacturing facilities or infrastructure, including refineries, processing
11 plants, terminals, or associated appurtenant structures and facilities.
12 A. B. The legislature finds that, with respect to construction contracts,
13 subcontracts, and purchase orders for public and private works projects, when one
14 of the parties is domiciled in Louisiana, and the work to be done and the equipment
15 and materials to be supplied involve construction projects in this state, provisions in
16 any provision in such agreements requiring disputes arising thereunder to be resolved
17 in a forum outside of this state or requiring their interpretation to be governed by the
18 laws of another jurisdiction are inequitable and against the public policy of this state.
19 B. C. The legislature hereby declares null, and void, and unenforceable as
20 against public policy any provision in a contract, subcontract, or purchase order, as
21 described in Subsection A B of this Section, which either:
22 (1) Requires a suit or arbitration proceeding to be brought in a forum or
23 jurisdiction outside of this state; rather, such actions or proceedings may be pursued
24 in accordance with the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure or other laws of this state
25 governing similar actions.
26 (2) Requires interpretation of the agreement according to the laws of another
27 jurisdiction.
28 C. D. The provisions of this Section apply to contracts, subcontracts, and
29 purchase orders, as described in Subsection A, B of this Section entered into on or
30 after September 6, 1991.
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 170 ENROLLED
1 D. E. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, the
2 provisions of this Section shall do not apply to negotiated labor contracts.
3 Section 2. The provisions of this Act apply to contracts, subcontracts, and purchase
4 orders entered into on or after September 6, 1991.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.