HB 893 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

SEWERAGE/N O WATER BD: Provides relative to the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board

HB 893 amends purchasing rules for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, directly affecting how the board procures materials and supplies. It requires formal competitive bidding for purchases over $30,000, mandates three electronic quotes (with documentation) for purchases between $10,000 and $30,000, and updates emergency procurement rules to limit emergency contracts to under $30,000 with written approval and board reporting. The bill repeals outdated language about emergency purchases exceeding $30,000. These changes streamline procurement while maintaining accountability for the board’s spending.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 27, 2026 Signed Jun 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB893 Original HB893 Act 851 · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill updates the purchasing rules for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board by removing a specific provision that required competitive bidding for purchases between $30,000 and $100,000. Instead, the board must now follow the same purchasing procedures for all amounts, which generally requires obtaining three quotes for purchases of $10,000 or more. This change simplifies the process by eliminating a separate, higher-tier bidding requirement that previously existed for mid-range purchases.
Scope change
The bill removes a specific threshold tier for the Sewerage and Water Board, aligning all purchasing decisions under a single set of rules rather than having different requirements based on the purchase amount.
REQUIREMENT

Deleted the specific requirement that purchases between $30,000 and $100,000 must be made via competitive bidding to the lowest responsible bidder.

Changed the purchasing threshold for requiring three quotes from $30,000 to $10,000, meaning the board must now use the three-quote process for smaller purchases than before.

Removed the exception clause that allowed the board to bypass standard purchasing rules for emergency situations involving supplies up to $30,000.

Floor votes · Senate May 26, 2026 · House Apr 23, 2026

How they voted

340
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 40
May 26, 2026
D Democratic12
9 Yea 3
75% Yea
R Republican28
25 Yea 3
89% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
4
Committee
4
May 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 32 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 19, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 90, nays 2. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (15-0).
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Alonzo Knox
Alonzo Knox
DDemocratic
LA
93