# Dominican Republic legislative reform efforts

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-republic-legislative-reform-efforts
> Updated: 2026-08-26T14:43:39.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

Senate President Ricardo de los Santos has established a legislative agenda for the Dominican Republic focused on modernizing long-standing laws, including the Civil Code, the National Police Law, and the Water Law. He emphasized the need for consensus to address pending legislation during the current year's sessions.

Following this prioritization, senators have moved to reintroduce specific reforms regarding the Labor Code and Social Security Law. Efforts to update the Labor Code aim to address modern realities such as teleworking and domestic labor, though these proposals have met tension between business sectors and labor unions over worker rights and severance pay protections. Simultaneously, Social Security discussions are focusing on pension amounts and the commercialization of health services.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-26: Dominican Republic senators reintroduce labor and social security reforms

Dominican Republic senators are reintroducing bills to reform the Labor Code and Social Security Law, amid debates over severance pay protections and modernizing workplace regulations.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/dominican-republic-senators-reintroduce-labor-and-social-security-reforms

### 2026-08-17: Senate President Ricardo de los Santos prioritizes legislative reforms

Dominican Senate President Ricardo de los Santos reaffirmed a commitment to passing key reforms, including updates to the Civil Code, Labor Code, and Social Security laws, during this year's legislative terms.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/senate-president-ricardo-de-los-santos-prioritizes-legislative-reforms

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Cite as: Dominican Republic legislative reform efforts. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-republic-legislative-reform-efforts