The Senate of the Dominican Republic passed the bill that would regulate not-for-profit associations. The legislation redefines guidelines for these groups. The registration of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be passed from the Executive Branch to the Attorney General’s office and the minimum founding members will be increased from two to five. These organizations can be inspected and certified by the internal revenue inspectors, even though they are tax-exempt institutions. The legislation also specifies that no person working for the government or a political party can head an NGO. The bill is now only pending the signing into law by President Leonel Fernandez.