ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the structure and management of the secretariats, the parliamentary civil service, specialized agencies, and their roles in the functioning of the legislature. It outlines current challenges for parliamentary administration and concludes with a general overview and reflection. The Conference for the Direction and Programming of Legislative Work is the chief authority responsible for administering the lower chamber. There are some critical differences between the administrative organization of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The core function of the secretariats, the specialized units, and the parliamentary civil service is to assist parliamentary work. Parliamentary administrative bodies of both chambers of the Mexican Congress have experienced an ongoing organizational growth and development process, particularly in the last decade. Although recent austerity measures may have slowed down this process, changes reflect a general movement towards increased administrative capacity.
