Opinion ID: 1154635
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Legislative History of LSA-R.S. 38:2214

Text: LSA-R.S. 38:2214(B) of the Public Bid Law presently provides, in relevant part, that [t]he public entity may reject any and all bids for just cause. [Emphasis added.] After this statute was first amended and reenacted in 1977, it provided, in pertinent part, that [t]he public entity may reject any and all bids. [4] See Acts 1977, No. 103, § 1. However, the statute was amended in 1982 and 1983. In Milton J. Womack, Inc. v. Legislative Budgetary Control Council, 470 So.2d 460 (La.App. 1st Cir.1985), the court reviewed this portion of the history of LSA-R.S. 38:2214: The legislative history of La.R.S. 38:2214 firmly establishes that prior to 1982 a public entity could reject any and all bids. No mention is made of the necessity for cause. However, Acts 1982, Nos. 691 and 695 both changed this section. Act 691 inserted that bids could be rejected for cause, subject to the appeals procedure as provided in La.R.S. 38:2212(J). Act 695 also made changes in the previous statute although the part regarding the rejection of bids was left entirely at the whim of the public entity without regard to cause. During the 1983 regular session the legislature amended section 2214 in order to reconcile the conflicts created by the 1982 legislation. In its present form La.R.S. 38:2214 A(2) states that the public entity may reject any and all bids for just cause. The reference to the appeals procedure was omitted. This legislation, Acts 1983, No. 111, was effective August 30, 1983. Thus we conclude that in rejecting any and all bids, a public entity must have just cause. Thereafter, in Acts 1991, No. 1043, § 1, the statute was again amended to its present form. Not only was the requirement of just cause retained, but an illustrative list of circumstances constituting just cause was added. [5] We note that in the introduction to Acts 1982, No. 691 (the amendment which first added the requirement of cause) it was stated that one of the reasons for the amendment was to provide for disqualification of bidders for cause. Rosenbush argues that the amendments to the statute clearly demonstrate that the legislature intended to change the provision that allowed the bidding entity to reject bids without any reason at all.