Browse Honduras Daily Stories

The Labor Committee began hearings on a proposal to extend the workplace lactation benefit from six months by 42 additional days and to start counting the period after postnatal rest ends, with labor union input gathered and private-sector feedback still pending.

The National Congress is poised to vote on an energy-reform bill next week after reaching broad consensus among parties, while preparing to review the 2027 budget with emphasis on food security and drought relief.

The National Congress will debate bills on expanded consular services for Hondurans in the US, free hypertension medications, climate-change adaptation, and CPR training in schools, along with infrastructure projects and a pending electricity-sector reform vote.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano said Honduras faces evaluation by the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and risks being added to a gray list if it fails to strengthen anti-money-laundering laws, which could limit access to international financing and cooperation.

A Liberal congressman from Yoro has introduced a bill to establish a permanent climate-resilience fund for Honduras's farm and livestock sector, aimed at funding water infrastructure, emergency response, and productivity support amid prolonged drought and extreme weather affecting rural areas.

Lawmakers approved the transfer of 30 manzanas (about 75 acres) of land from the National Agricultural University to the municipality of Trojes, El Paraíso, to be used for public infrastructure including a slaughterhouse, cemetery, hospital, or fire station.

Congress approved reforms to elder-care law adding free annual medical checkups, home care, active-aging programs, a non-contributory pension for impoverished seniors, and tax incentives for employers hiring workers over 60.

Congress began briefing all five political caucuses and mayors' associations on a proposed investment law designed to attract capital for hospitals, ports, infrastructure, and other projects by guaranteeing legal security and property rights.

A proposal from Congressman Erik Alvarado would eliminate the sales tax (ISV) on orthopedic equipment, wheelchairs, medical supplies, and breastfeeding products, aiming to lower costs for people with disabilities, those needing ongoing medical care, and nursing mothers.

Congressman Sebastián Romero met with the National Volunteer Council to discuss proposed amendments to Honduras's volunteer law, which regulates organized citizen participation in nonprofit social work and seeks to protect volunteers' rights and benefits.

Congresswoman Alia Kafati introduced a bill to allow Honduran presidents to be reelected only once, barring them from further candidacy after two full terms, seeking to close a legal gap left open since 2015.

Congress will deduct one day's salary from at least 12 members of the National, Liberal, and Libre parties who failed to attend a July 23 session without justification; the funds will go to schools and health centers.

A congresswoman introduced legislation to create a professional college for Honduras's insurance brokers, saying it would restore labor protections and establish oversight to protect consumers and ensure market transparency in an industry that generated 21.2 billion lempiras in annual premiums in early 2026.

A congressman proposes legislation allowing cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy to work remotely from home with medical authorization, citing reduced mobility and increased infection risk during treatment.

Congress approved a motion demanding that the Interior Ministry resolve recognition of Anacafeh's board within 10 days, ending a three-year leadership dispute that has left the national coffee-growers' association paralyzed since rival factions emerged in 2023.

Congressman Javier Vaquero (Libre) introduced a proposal to establish a national social-housing system allowing renters to build equity toward homeownership, targeting Hondurans excluded from traditional bank mortgages.

The National Congress unanimously approved a motion directing its Family Commission to coordinate with prosecutors, police, and health regulators to investigate clandestine organizations that openly promote abortion services via social media and digital platforms, despite abortion being constitutionally banned and criminalized in Honduras.

Honduras has enacted a law creating a centralized registry of beneficial owners of companies and legal entities, managed by the National Banking Commission, to combat money laundering, terrorism financing, and organized crime in compliance with international standards.

A congressional commission is developing an inter-agency coordination mechanism involving state institutions, international partners, and civil society to strengthen prevention, victim care, and justice access under Honduras's child sexual-abuse law.

A congressman has introduced a bill to convert properties managed by Honduras's seized-asset office into a nationwide network of emergency shelters for people displaced by disasters, violence, or other crises.

Congress approved contracts for consulting, technology infrastructure, and external audits to modernize Honduras's customs agency and improve tax collection, funded through an IDB loan.

Vice President of Congress Godofredo Fajardo introduced a bill to block a 12.82% electricity rate increase announced by the energy regulator, keeping the price at 5.32 lempiras per kilowatt-hour instead of allowing it to rise to 5.98 lempiras, citing the burden on household budgets and business costs.

Lawmakers approved 26 million lempiras (about $1 million) from the 2026 budget to build a shelter for women who have experienced violence in Santa Bárbara, with construction to begin this year.

A National Congress member proposed reopening the enrollment period for a microbusiness tax-incentive program that expired, conditioning new benefits on companies creating at least 20% more jobs and adding safeguards against fraud and duplicate claims.

Members of Congress's International Relations Committee met with European Parliament and EU officials in Brussels to discuss cooperation on democracy, security, drug trafficking, human rights, and foreign investment in Honduras.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano said pending legislation to reform Honduras's state power utility aims to strengthen ENEE, reduce losses, and improve service—not privatize it—while the government spends over 16 billion lempiras annually to cover the company's deficits.

A legislative committee is analyzing a fuel-price stabilization fund, to be financed by the government, importers, distributors, and possibly consumers, that would cushion price spikes for Hondurans when global oil costs rise.

Sixty attorneys who topped a public-prosecutor competition asked Congress to pressure the Public Ministry after their swearing-in stalled for months following an April notification that was never followed up.

Pending congressional reforms to Honduras's electric sector guarantee that ENEE employees will retain their union affiliation and benefits even after the state utility is restructured into separate generation, distribution, and transmission companies, and explicitly reject any privatization.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced that lawmakers have reached consensus on electricity-industry reforms and may hold a final vote next Tuesday, citing annual losses exceeding 16 billion lempiras at the state utility and chronic blackouts affecting Honduras more severely than neighboring countries.