Majority of MPs in Congress deals with climate events

Of the 30 MPs (Provisional Measures) in force and awaiting deliberation by the National Congress, the majority deal with the issue of tackling the climate crisis, including the reconstruction of Rio Grande do Sul and actions against fires and drought in the North region.

The majority (24 MPs) are awaiting installation of mixed committees who will give opinions on the matters — in the case of opening extraordinary credits, this responsibility is the responsibility of Mixed Budget Committee. Two other MPs are being processed in the Chamber of Deputies, one in the Senate, and 3 are awaiting appointment as members of their joint committees.

Chamber

MP 1,257 of 2024 is on the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies. This provisional measure opens extraordinary credit worth R$5.1 billion for Rio Grande do Sul. The amounts must be allocated to the Ministries of Health; Social Security; and Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, as well as the payment of financial charges from the Union and transfers to States and municipalities (and also the Federal District). The MP was published on September 17th.

Another provisional measure to be voted on by deputies is MP 1,260 of 2024, which released an additional R$1.6 billion to help Rio Grande do Sul. The text was published on September 30th. The amounts are allocated to the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock; Science, Technology and Innovation; Agrarian Development and Family Farming; and Ports and Airports.

Senate

Already approved in the Chamber, MP 1,258 of 2024, which was published on September 18, awaits deliberation in the Senate. Allocates extraordinary credit of R$514.5 million to combat fires and droughts in the Amazon region. The text is processed in emergency regimeas it expires at the beginning of February.

Budget Committee

Several provisional measures are being analyzed by the Joint Budget Committee:

• MP 1,256 of 2024, published on September 10, released R$510 million to the Ministry of Mines and Energy to face the consequences of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul and also to expand access to credit through the Investment Guarantee Fund;
• MP 1,265 of 2024, published on October 11, allocated R$383 million to the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development. The resources must be allocated to civil protection and defense actions in Rio Grande do Sul;
• MP 1,269 of 2024, published on October 23, opens extraordinary credit of R$5 billion for Official Credit Operations. These resources must be used to finance projects that help recover infrastructure and support families affected by natural disasters that occurred in the region;
• MP 1,275 of 2024, published on November 25, released R$118.2 million for the Federal Public Defender’s Office and the Ministries of Planning and Budget; and Integration and Regional Development. This credit must be used to face the consequences of natural disasters in Rio Grande do Sul, including the recovery of damaged infrastructure and support for affected families;
• MP 1,279 of 2024, published on December 17, opens extraordinary credit of R$120 million for the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development. This value must be used in civil protection and defense actions, focusing on municipalities affected by natural disasters, such as drought, drought, forest fires and rain;
• MP 1,282 of 2024, published on December 24, allocates R$6.5 billion to the Ministry of Cities, to be allocated to the fund mentioned in MP 1,278 of 2024, aiming to benefit Rio Grande do Sul;
• published on December 29, opens extraordinary credit of R$168.27 million for the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger. The resources are intended to pay BPC (Continuous Payment Benefit) and RMV (Lifetime Monthly Income) to elderly people and people with disabilities in a situation of public calamity in Rio Grande do Sul;
• published on December 29, authorizes the release of R$357.44 million for the Ministries of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services; Agrarian Development and Family Farming; Integration and Regional Development; Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger; and Cities; and also for Official Credit Operations, for actions that benefit Rio Grande do Sul;
• MP 1,268 of 2024, published on October 23, releases credit of R$938.4 million for the Ministries of Justice and Public Security; Health; Environment and Climate Change; Agrarian Development and Family Farming; Integration and Regional Development; Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger; and Fisheries and Aquaculture; for actions related to drought and forest fires, among others, in the Pantanal and the Amazon. The majority of these resources are intended to pay the extraordinary aid provided for in MP 1,263 of 2024: R$418.4 million;
• published on December 29, secured an additional R$553.2 million for the payment of extraordinary aid for artisanal fishermen and women in the Northern Region;
• MP 1,281 of 2024, published on December 24, opens extraordinary credit of R$233.2 million for the Ministries of Mines and Energy; Environment and Climate Change; and Ports and Airports. This amount must be used in emergency actions to deal with natural disasters, such as droughts, forest fires and heavy rains in different parts of Brazil;
• MP 1,264 of 2024, published on October 11, opens extraordinary credit of R$80.4 million for the Ministry of Defense. These resources must be used by the Air Force to guarantee transport logistics and humanitarian support in the repatriation of Brazilians residing in conflict zones in Lebanon and neighboring countries;
• MP 1,270 of 2024, published on October 24, opens extraordinary credit of R$87 million for the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development. These resources must be used in civil protection and defense actions in response to natural disasters, such as drought, forest fires and intense rains.

Mixed commissions

There are also provisional measures that are in joint committees created specifically for each of them (or awaiting the creation of these committees):

• MP 1,266 of 2024, published on October 15, determined the exceptional extension, for up to one year, of the special customs regime (drawback) for exporting companies from Rio Grande do Sul;
• MP 1,278 of 2024, published on December 12, authorized the Union to participate in a fund to support the recovery of infrastructure in areas affected by climate events (MP 1,282 of 2024 allocated R$6.5 billion to this fund, to be used in Rio Grande do Sul);
• MP 1,259 of 2024, published on September 20, focuses on fire prevention and combat actions. With this objective, it relaxes rules for financial transfer and import of equipment, software and services;
• MP 1,263 of 2024, published on October 8, creates extraordinary aid of R$ 2,824.00 for artisanal fishermen and women in the North Region who already receive Defense Insurance (a benefit paid during the period in which fishing is prohibited for preservation species) and who live in municipalities in an emergency situation due to drought or drought;
• MP 1,277 of 2024, published on November 29, included more artisanal fishermen in the emergency Defense Insurance for the Northern Region;
• published on November 25th, makes the transfer of federal resources more flexible to states and municipalities, for them to combat forest fires, dispensing with agreements or instruments of this type, as long as there is an environmental emergency situation;
• published on October 19, allows the use of FGO resources (Operations Guarantee Fund) by Pronampe (National Support Program for Microenterprises and Small Businesses), to assist microenterprises and small businesses affected by the electricity interruption in São Paulo in October;
• MP 1,273 of 2024, published on November 13, extended until December 31, 2024 the Program to Combat the Social Security Queue, established by Law 14,724, of 2023;
• MP 1,274 of 2024, published on November 22, amends the Aldir Blanc Law on Promotion of Culture to set annual transfers of up to R$3 billion according to the execution of policies in the area by states and municipalities;
• MP 1,280 of 2024, published on December 24, extends tax benefits (tax discounts) for the audiovisual sector in Brazil until 2029. These benefits include Recine (Special Tax Regime for the Development of Cinematographic Exhibition Activity);
• MP 1,286 of 2024, published on December 31, guarantees, in 2025 and 2026, salary recovery for 100% of active employees, retirees and pensioners of the Union, among other measures;
• creates financial support of R$60,000 for children up to 10 years old who were born with disabilities caused by the Zika virus during pregnancy. It was published on January 9th as an alternative to PL 6,064/23, vetoed in full by the president (PT).

Equivalent laws

There are two provisional measures that are still being processed in Congress, despite the existence of laws with equivalent content:

• MP 1,261 of 2024, published on October 2, postpones from 3 years to 7 to 10 years the period for compensating banks for losses on loans not paid by customers. Published on October 2nd, this provisional measure has identical content to that of , published on December 30th.
• MP 1,262 of 2024, published on October 4, establishes an additional 15% of the CSLL (Social Contribution on Net Profit) for multinationals that register annual revenue exceeding 750 million euros — around R$4.7 billion — in at least two of the four years immediately preceding the one analyzed. The , published on December 30, repeats the text of the MP.

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With information from