As we move through the back half of the legislative session, ACEC Louisiana continues actively advocating on legislation impacting the business of engineering and the practice of our profession.

Supported Legislation Moving Forward

ACEC Louisiana’s HB 387 by Representative Foy Gadberry recently passed off of the House Floor with no opposition, marking a significant step forward for the bill. As amended in committee, the legislation no longer contains the proposed “five feet from the foundation of the building” clarification that would have been added to the statutory definition of incidental engineering. While we still believe that clarification would have provided a clearer delineation between architectural and engineering site design responsibilities, the bill still advances an important policy objective.

In its current form, HB 387 provides the State Fire Marshal with explicit authority to enforce Louisiana’s incidental engineering law during its review of building plans submitted to the agency. This represents a necessary improvement in the state’s ability to ensure compliance with existing engineering licensure laws and to help protect public safety. The bill is scheduled to be heard in Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow, which is the second to last step in legislative process. We are not anticipating any opposition to the bill in its current form and expect it to pass out of committee without issue.

Favorable Risk Management Bills Sent to the Governor

ACEC Louisiana also supported HB 170 by Representative Neil Riser, which successfully passed through the legislative process and has now been sent to the Governor for signature. HB 170 establishes that legal disputes arising from projects designed and constructed in Louisiana will be governed by Louisiana law. This legislation provides important protections against out-of-state venue and choice-of-law provisions that can create uncertainty and unnecessary legal burdens for Louisiana design professionals and contractors.

Additionally, ACEC Louisiana supported HB 194 by Representative Neil Riser, which also was sent to the Governor for signature. HB 194 clarifies that the five-year preemptive period for contract claims against a design professional begins either when the owner maintains occupancy of the building or six months after issuance of the certificate of completion. This clarification provides greater certainty and predictability for Louisiana’s design community regarding long-term liability exposure.