Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:2191 – A. All public entities shall promptly pay all obligations including approved change orders, arising under public contracts when the obligations become due and payable under the contr
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:2191
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- contract: means any contract awarded by any public entity for the making of any public works or for the purchase of any materials or supplies. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:2211
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Contractor: means any person or other legal entity who enters into a public contract. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:2211
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Public entity: means and includes the state of Louisiana, or any agency, board, commission, department, or public corporation of the state, created by the constitution or statute or pursuant thereto, or any political subdivision of the state, including but not limited to any political subdivision as defined in Article VI Section 44 of the Constitution of Louisiana, and any public housing authority, public school board, or any public officer whether or not an officer of a public corporation or political subdivision. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:2211
A. All public entities shall promptly pay all obligations including approved change orders, arising under public contracts when the obligations become due and payable under the contract. All progressive stage payments and final payments shall be paid when they respectively become due and payable under the contract.
B.(1) Any public entity failing to make any progressive stage payment within forty-five days following receipt of a certified request for payment by the public entity without reasonable cause shall be liable for reasonable attorney fees and interest charged at one-half percent accumulated daily, not to exceed fifteen percent. Any public entity failing to make any final payments after formal final acceptance and within forty-five days following receipt of a clear lien certificate by the public entity shall be liable for reasonable attorney fees and interest charged at one-half percent accumulated daily, not to exceed fifteen percent.
(2) Any interest received by the contractor pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, shall be disbursed on a prorated basis among the contractor and subcontractors, each receiving a prorated portion based on the principal amount due within ten business days of receipt of the interest.
C. The provisions of this Section shall not be subject to waiver by contract.
D. Any public entity failing to make any progressive stage payments arbitrarily or without reasonable cause, or any final payment when due as provided in this Section, shall be subject to mandamus to compel the payment of the sums due under the contract up to the amount of the appropriation made for the award and execution of the contract, including any authorized change orders.
Acts 1991, No. 1044, §1; Acts 2011, No. 184, §1; Acts 2014, No. 487, §1; Acts 2018, No. 566, §1; Acts 2021, No. 205, §1.