Preliminary draft for revising the Ports Law awaits processing in the Chamber of Deputies

Once the text is assigned to a parliamentarian, the legislative process for the bill amending the legal framework of the port sector will begin (Elaine Menke/Chamber of Deputies)

Submitted to the Chamber of Deputies nearly two weeks ago, the preliminary draft law prepared by the Commission of Jurists for Legal Review and Exploitation of Ports and Port Facilities (Ceportos) has yet to be referred to the House committees and remains stalled. The text proposes significant changes to the port legal framework, such as decentralizing the Ministry of Ports and Airports' competencies and ending the exclusivity of casual port workers.

Some measures are unpopular with both the Federal Government and labor unions but have gained support from the private sector. The president of Ceportos and minister of the Superior Labor Court (TST), Douglas Alencar, along with other commission members, submitted the draft to the president of the Federal Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), on November 6.

According to information obtained by A Tribuna , although the proposal has been received, it has yet to be referred by the president's office to the appropriate committees for review. Before that, the draft must be converted into a bill (PL). In a statement, the Legislature clarified that a parliamentarian must take up the content to transform it into a bill, which would initiate its legislative process in the House.

The legislative process unfolds as follows: first, the bill is sent to three committees for substantive analysis, then to the Finance and Taxation Committee (CFT) to assess any financial impact, and subsequently to the Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship Committee (CCJC) to evaluate its constitutionality.

The next step determines whether the matter requires a plenary vote. Once approved, the bill proceeds to the Senate. If senators introduce amendments, the text returns to the Chamber for another vote. Finally, the bill is sent to the Federal Executive for approval or decline.

Parliamentary recess It is worth noting that just over a month remains until the parliamentary recess, which runs from December 23 to February 1, 2025. When activities resume on February 2, lawmakers will be focused on electing Lira's successor as Chamber president. The leading candidate is federal deputy Hugo Motta (Republicans-PB), supported by the current president.

Draft suggestions Ceportos approved the final report on October 23, and the details were presented at the 2nd Port & Sea Meeting, organized by Grupo Tribuna in Brasília last month.

The conceptual proposal for revising the Ports Law (12.815/2013) recommends decentralizing the Ministry of Ports and Airports' (MPor) competencies, assigning part of them to the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) for regulation and to port authorities. Ceportos proposes retaining public port concessions with the MPor but transferring the authorization of private-use terminals (TUPs) to Antaq.

The aim is to simplify and expedite the processes for concessions, leases, and authorizations in ports, enhance legal security in contracts, and expand the job market by encouraging the professional development of port workers.