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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 839 Lowers Construction Management at Risk Threshold for Hospital Service Districts and Exempts Projects of $1 Million or Less from Public Bidding
Last action · April 8, 2026: Becomes HB 1233.Sponsor: Kimberly Coates
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What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Bill 839 authorizes s to perform public works projects valued at $1 million or less using their own employees without public advertisement or bidding. It also lowers the project cost threshold from $2 million to $1 million for these districts. Additionally, the bill prohibits splitting projects to bypass bid limits and clarifies that work must be done by actual district employees rather than independent contractors.
s gain greater administrative flexibility and internal control over public works projects valued up to $1 million, changing procurement timelines and contractor requirements for local healthcare infrastructure.
- House Bill 839 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature by Representative Kimberly Coates. context
- Public bid laws in Louisiana regulate how public entities advertise, let contracts, and manage public works projects to ensure transparency and competition. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Hospital service districts
Hospital service districts gain the authority to execute public works projects of $1 million or less using their own staff without public bids and face a lower CMAR threshold.
Independent contractors
Contractors are excluded from performing the specific $1 million or less internal district projects designated for district employees under the new exemption.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new bidding threshold for hospital service districts?
How does the bill change Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) rules for hospital districts?
Can hospital districts use independent contractors to perform the $1 million or less work without bidding?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
6 actions- Apr 8, 2026HouseBecomes HB 1233.
- Apr 7, 2026HouseReported by substitute (15-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.
- Feb 27, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Lowering CMAR and Bidding Thresholds
The bill shifts procurement authority by granting hospital service districts exemptions from public bidding for projects up to $1 million and adjusting the CMAR floor.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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