House Bill No. [insert number] seeks to amend the Louisiana Revised Statutes concerning the procurement of voting systems and their components. The bill replaces the term "solicitation of bids for" with "procurement and use of" new voting systems and shifts the primary procurement methods from competitive requests for proposals to competitive sealed proposals or invitations to negotiate. It establishes the Voting System Commission and the Voting System Proposal Evaluation Committee, outlining their roles in the approval and evaluation of voting systems. Additionally, the bill mandates that all voting systems must be certified according to federal guidelines and delineates the responsibilities of the secretary of state and the commissioner of administration in the procurement process.

The legislation also introduces a new subpart addressing legal and contractual remedies related to voting system procurement, including the right to protest against solicitations or contract awards and the authority of the chief procurement officer to resolve such protests. It establishes a finality clause for decisions made by the chief procurement officer, allowing for appeals to the court under specific conditions. The bill designates the Nineteenth Judicial District Court as the exclusive venue for various procurement-related actions and emphasizes the need for timely appeals and decisions. Importantly, the provisions of this bill will expire after June 30, 2027, unless further legislative action is taken.

Statutes affected:
HB577 Original: 18:1361(A), 18:1362(A)(1), 18:1(I)(1), 18:2(A)
HB577 Engrossed: 18:1361(A), 18:1362(A)(1), 18:1(I)(1), 18:2(A)
HB577 Enrolled: 18:1361(A), 18:1362(A)(1), 18:1(I)(1), 18:2(A)
HB577 Act : 18:1361(A), 18:1362(A)(1), 18:1(I)(1), 18:2(A)