Prohibiting certain indemnification provisions in contracts relating to design professional services

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill prohibits the enforcement of any provision in a contract between the state or a political subdivision and a private entity that is engaged in design professional services that requires the private entity to indemnify or defend the state or a political subdivision. Under the bill, design professional services is defined to mean any service performed by a design professional and services performed by others that arise out of or are related to services performed by a design professional.

The term “design professional” includes architects, engineers-in-training, landscape architects, professional engineers, professional land surveyors, and Wisconsin registered interior designers. The bill excepts from the prohibitions described above any provision in which a private entity's indemnification obligation is limited to losses proximately caused by the negligent performance of design professional services by the private entity and does not exceed the proportion of a loss caused by the negligent performance and any provision required to be included in the state's or a political subdivision's contracts with the federal government.

Who's behind it

4 senators are its authors⁠. 2 are Democrats and 2 are Republicans.

12 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

• Amendment Histories