O National Congress is the seat of Power Legislative in Brazil, hosting the Chamber of Deputies (lower chamber) and the federal Senate (upper chamber). The existence of these two houses makes the Brazilian Legislative a bicameral system. The Federal Senate is composed of 81 senators, and the Chamber of Deputies, of 513 deputies.
Among the functions of the National Congress are to legislate, that is, to propose, debate and vote on bills; to monitor the work of the Executive; that of judging in specific cases, among others. The representatives of the National Congress are chosen through direct elections, that is, the population chooses who will represent them.
Read too: Federal Constitution — the highest law in force in Brazil
Topics of this article
- 1 - Summary about the National Congress
- 2 - What is the National Congress?
- 3 - What is the function of the National Congress?
- 4 - How are the members of the National Congress elected?
- 5 - Approval of bills in the National Congress
Summary about the National Congress
The National Congress is the seat of the Legislature in Brazil.
It is located in Praça dos Three Powers, in Brasilia.
It comprises two houses: the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate.
Among its primary functions are the proposition of laws and the inspection of the Executive.
Its members are directly elected, but different criteria are adopted for filling the two houses.
The Federal Senate is formed by 81 senators and the Chamber of Deputies is made up of 513 deputies.
What is the National Congress?
The National Congress is what we understand as the headquarters of Power Legislative, and is located at Praça dos Três Poderes, in Brasília. this building houses the Federal Senate (the upper chamber) and the Chamber of Deputies (the lower chamber). The existence of two chambers makes Brazil a bicameral nation.
The representatives of the National Congress, that is, federal deputies, districts and senators have the primary functions of proposing laws and voting on projects; monitor the actions of the Executive, summoning the representatives of that power for clarification and establishing investigations; and they can also judge in very specific cases.
The Federal Senate is made up of 81 senators, three per state, in addition to the Federal District. It is also formed by a total of 513 deputies, which represent all states and the Federal District. However, the number of deputies elected by each Federation entity varies according to their respective population.
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The period of operation of the National Congress, according to Brazilian legislation, is from February 2nd to July 17th and from August 1st to December 22nd. The intervals between these periods are understood as legislative recesses. Our law further determines that the president of the National Congress is also the President of the Federal Senate.
Each of the houses that make up the National Congress has internal regulations that establish the rules for its operation, in addition to a president and a Board of Directors, responsible for organizing its chamber.
See too: O What Happens in a Federal Intervention?
What is the function of the National Congress?
As the seat of the Legislative Power in Brazil, the roles of the National Congress, as mentioned, are to to legislate, that is, to propose bills of law, debate them and put them to a vote. This is the primary job of representatives of the National Congress. As they are elected for the people, the duty of congressmen is to act in a way that guarantees the best for the Brazilian people.
Furthermore, it is the role of congressmen act as supervisors ofs B.Cions of the Executive, as such, they must oversee the actions of the president and his ministers of state to ensure that they govern constitutionally and duly respecting the limits of the law.
With this, members of the National Congress can ask the president and his ministers for clarification; conduct investigations, if necessary, through a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry (CPI); and trigger the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), in case the budget presented by the government presents discrepancies.
Members of the National Congress can request that the president of the republicbe put on trial through a process of impeachment. With that, a president can be removed from his position, if he has committed some very serious irregularity. The impeachment process must be voted on in both chambers.
We have already mentioned that the National Congress operates in a bicameral system, therefore, there are two chambers, and one of them — the senate — has some attributions that are not the competence of the Chamber of Deputies. Thus, senators are responsible for approving or vetoing a president's nomination for trusted positions — such as for a vacancy in the Federal Court of Justice. In addition, they are the ones who authorize certain government financial transactions.
Know more:History of elections in Brazil
How are members of the National Congress elected?
The National Congress is formed by the representatives who the population elect every four years. The criterion that determines the election of federal and district deputies is what we call the proportional system, in which an electoral quotient determines the candidates who will be elected or not.
The fundamental criterion of the quotient is the number of legislative seats that a party has won based on this quotient. With this, the most voted candidates of that party, if they have at least 10% of the total votes of the electoral quotient, are elected.
In the case of senators, what determines the election of a candidate is the majority criterion, in which the candidate with the highest number of votes is directly elected. The renewal of the Federal Senate takes place in 2/3 in one election and in 1/3 in the following election. In both cases, there is no limit for re-election dand deputies and senators, that is, they can be re-elected as many times as they want.
Approval of bills in the National Congress
Every law passed in the National Congress was proposed through a bill, the document that formalizes a politician's intention to establish a new law. This project is presented in the Chamber of Deputies, where it is debated and suggestions for changes are received; then he is taken to vote, whether in committees or in plenary.
If approved, the project goes to the Federal Senate, which reviews it thoroughly and then votes to approve or reject it. If the vote determines that the design needs modifications, it returns to the Chamber of Deputies, which can make the changes or keep it as it is. Then the project is sent to the President, which may sanction it in part or in full.
If the president requests changes, his request can be carried out by the Chamber of Deputies or presidential vetoes can be overridden. The Chamber of Deputies can still overturn the president's veto to the bill in its entirety. Finally, a bill can also be submitted by the Senate, from where it is sent to the Chamber of Deputies and then to the president.
If the president submits a bill, it is first sent to the Chamber of Deputies, then to the Senate, and finally to the President's office for signature.
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