HB 170 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

CONTRACTS: Provides relative to construction contracts

HB 170 invalidates contract clauses requiring disputes from Louisiana construction projects to be resolved outside the state or governed by another state's laws. It applies to construction contracts involving work in Louisiana (including building, road, or infrastructure projects), directly affecting contractors, developers, and property owners entering such agreements. The law declares these clauses "null, void, and unenforceable" as against Louisiana public policy, requiring disputes to follow Louisiana legal procedures instead. This applies to contracts entered on or after September 6, 1991, but excludes negotiated labor contracts. The bill aims to ensure Louisiana courts handle disputes related to local construction work.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 18, 2026 Signed May 15, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2697, Cathey, Adopted HB170 Act · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was re-enrolled with minor formatting updates and a specific amendment removing a reference to 'chemical or petrochemical manufacturing facilities' from the definition of excluded construction contracts. The core policy regarding the invalidation of out-of-state dispute resolution clauses in public and private construction contracts remains unchanged.
Scope change
The scope of the bill's exclusions was narrowed by removing the explicit mention of chemical and petrochemical manufacturing facilities from the list of projects not covered by the anti-forum-selection clause.
DEFINITION

Deleted the phrase 'chemical or petrochemical manufacturing facilities' from the list of exclusions in the definition of construction contracts.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document header to reflect that the bill is enrolled and signed into law, changing the session title to '2026 Regular Session' and adding Act No. 132.

Adjusted the amendment attribution line to credit both Representative Riser and Senator Cathey instead of listing only the Senate amendments.

Floor votes · Senate May 5, 2026 · House Apr 7, 2026

How they voted

360
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 40
May 5, 2026
D Democratic12
10 Yea 2
83% Yea
R Republican28
26 Yea 2
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
22
Key actions
5
Committee
5
May 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read by title, roll called, yeas 96, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
lower
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
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.
upper
Apr 22, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
Apr 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (5-0-1).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors