Senate Bill No. 168, introduced by Senator Womack, aims to establish a five-year liberative prescription period for the collection of bonuses, rentals, royalties, shut-in payments, and other sums payable to the state as the lessor under mineral leases. The bill enacts new provisions in R.S. 30:136(A)(1)(d) and Civil Code Article 3501.2, which specify that the right to collect these payments will be subject to this five-year period from the due date of each payment, overriding the previous three-year prescription period outlined in Civil Code Article 3494(5).

Additionally, the bill clarifies that these provisions apply to valid existing mineral leases entered into under the relevant Louisiana Revised Statutes. The proposed law is set to take effect on August 1, 2025, and reflects a change from a previously proposed ten-year prescriptive period to the newly established five-year period. This adjustment aims to streamline the process for the state in collecting owed payments from mineral leases.