Pro-Bolsonaro lawmakers take crucial committees in Congress. Why it matters

Last year, Brazil’s Congress quickly adapted to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic by conducting its voting sessions remotely. However, this change was confined to floor sessions. Permanent congressional committees — crucial to Brazil’s lawmaking process — have lain dormant since December 2019.

All new ordinary bills or constitutional amendment proposals in Brazil must pass through one or more committees before approval. In some cases, the committees have the final say and may enact laws without the need for floor votes. Clearly, the inactivity of these panels has hamstrung Brazil’s legislative efficiency.

Last week, lawmakers took the first step toward reactivating committees in the House of Representatives by electing new committee chairs. There are 25 such permanent committees in the lower house, each dealing with different areas of policy making. The heads of each one is decided by the so-called proportionality rule: the greater the size of a political party’s bench, the more committees it will control. 

As the chair is usually decided ahead of time, the committee elections are largely a formality. However, that is not to say the...