Understand the Security PEC: what changes and where it stands in Congress

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The result of the recent police operation that took place in Rio de Janeiro shed light on a question: what are politicians doing to ensure peace in Brazilian society? Therefore, a proposal that had been on hold since April, when it was officially delivered by the federal government to Congress, was once again on the agenda. And now, urgently: the Public Security PEC.

The Proposed Constitutional Amendment for Public Security (PEC 18/2025) alters articles 21, 22, 23, 24 and 144 of the Constitution to organize public security as a State policy, with national guidelines defined by the Union and mandatory integration between the Union, states, Federal District and municipalities.

The text constitutionalizes the Unified Public Security System (SUSP), creates the National Council for Public Security and Social Defense, prohibits the contingency of the National Public Security Fund and Funpen, and determines the standardization of records and statistics to improve the exchange of information

Furthermore, according to the federal government, the PEC also includes municipal guards in the constitutional list of security bodies, expands the scope of the Federal Police (PF) against environmental crimes and criminal organizations, and transforms the Federal Highway Police (PRF) into the Federal Road Police with overt policing on highways, railways and federal waterways.

The PEC was presented by the Executive in April this year and has already gone through public hearing phases. It is currently under analysis by the Special Commission on Federal Competences in Public Security, which will discuss the merits and produce an opinion with a final text for the Plenary. The official record records recent actions in November and the matter continues to “await an opinion” from the rapporteur.

In the plenary, voting is done in two rounds, with 3/5 of the votes, that is, with analysis of 308 deputies, in each. There is also a regimented break between shifts. When sent to the Federal Senate, it again goes through the CCJ and two rounds with 3/5 of the votes, that is, 49 senators. If the Senate changes the text, the PEC returns to the Chamber. Unlike ordinary laws, it does not go to presidential sanction and is promulgated in a session of the National Congress, becoming a Constitutional Amendment.

The federal government’s central justification for creating the PEC is that organized crime operates interstate and transnationally and requires coordination, common standards and unified data flow. The government claims that the PEC gives institutional stability to the SUSP, similar to the SUS; guarantees stable financing and strengthens control and transparency mechanisms.

For opposition parliamentarians, integration cannot become a single command and transferring coordination to the Union could harm the federative pact, reducing the autonomy of the states. Today, according to deputies, the federative units support the majority of security spending. In an interview with LeoDias portalfederal deputy Kim Kataguiri (União Brasil/SP), accusing the government of reducing the autonomy of the states and acting late on the issue. For him, the PEC does not help in confronting factions.