Politics: Key legislative takeaways from the Congressional period that ended on April 30
The congressional session that concluded on April 30 was one of the least productive in recent memory, despite Morena holding a legislative supermajority. Three bills stood out among the 61 approved across both chambers.
The first is the electoral reform. The bill that was ultimately passed bore little resemblance to President Sheinbaum's original proposal, which sought to reduce party and INE funding and shrink proportional representation in Congress. Facing opposition from Morena's own allies — the PVEM and the PT — the administration was forced to submit a different reform, focused on reducing minority party representation on municipal councils and trimming legislative budgets. A proposal to move up the presidential recall referendum from 2028 to 2027 was also withdrawn after PT opposition.
The second bill that stands out is the labor reform, which reduces the standard workweek from 48 to 40 hours on a gradual basis, with two-hour reductions per year from 2027 through 2030. Additional measures include new overtime limits, mandatory digital time-tracking, protections for tip-dependent workers, and strengthened "decent work" obligations covering harassment prevention and workplace equality. However, while politically commendable, the reform's economic reach is limited to the formal sector — less than half the workforce — and rising labor costs may be constraining formal job creation among small and medium-sized enterprises.
The strategic infrastructure investment law creates a new framework for public-private co-investment, reinstating mechanisms that López Obrador had prohibited. Its key innovation is the Mixed Participation Scheme, which allows the state and private investors to share financing, risks, and returns across long-term contracts. However, analysts and business leaders have flagged two concerns: the state retains broad discretionary authority over project selection, and the risk-return balance appears skewed against the private sector, potentially undermining the law's stated goal of attracting private investment.
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