On Friday (19), during a meeting with the specialized media, at the official siege of the Chamber’s Presidency, the Deputy Arlindo Chinaglia assessed the legislative production of the house during the biennium 2007-2008.
The president, Chinaglia, highlighted that he has always tried to conduct the Chamber of Deputies with “regimental, legal and administrative rigor”. According to his evaluation, the “legislative power was strengthened in that period, which is positive for the strengthening of democracy”.

Highlights
Among the important projects included in the summary presented by Chinaglia, some are highlighted because of their international scope, in different thematic fields: regional integration, human rights, education, economy.
One of the approved bills was Bill6222/05, which defines new rules for adoption. The bill determines that international adoptions can only be made after the adopting parents are heard by the Brazilian judiciary authority and stay in Brazil for at least 30 days, living together with the child. The matter is now awaiting the Senate’s review.

People with disabilities
The Convention of the United Nations (UN) on the Rights of People with Disabilities, signed in New York (US) on March 30, 2007, was approved by the Chamber and by the Senate and transformed in the Legislative Resolution
286/08.

The treaty establishes obligations for the signing States, in the form of guidelines and guarantees in several areas. The objective is to ensure equal opportunities and the necessary adaptations to their free access to goods, services and rights to the person with disabilities.

PEC of the Stateless People
The Bill to the Amendment to Constitution 272/00 was transformed in the Constitutional Amendment 54. It allows the registration of children of Brazilian fathers or mothers in consulates, for the child to receive his/her nationality. Before that, the person was obliged to live in Brazil to be able to opt for Brazilian nationality, which could be done only after he/she was 18 years old.

More than 200,000 children live abroad in that situation since 1994.

Sovereign Fund
The Chamber also approved the Bill 3674/08, which creates the Brazilian Sovereign Fund, linked to the Finance Ministry. The objective is to finance strategic undertaking projects of Brazil abroad and to soften the effects of the global credit crisis and of other moments of economic activity drop.

Venezuela in Mercosul
The House Floor approved on December 18 the Legislative Resolution Bill 387/07, which contains the adhesion protocol of Venezuela to Mercosul. It was signed in Caracas, on July 4th, 2006, by the members of the bloc and also by Venezuela. The matter will now be reviewed by the Senate.
The protocol has already been approved by Uruguay and by Venezuela. In Argentina, it was recently approved by the Congress. In Paraguay, it is being reviewed by the Executive Power.

Imported products
In the beginning, the Chamber approved the bill (PL 717/03), which obliges imported products for trade in Brazil to comply with the same certification rules imposed to domestic wares, which gives domestic and imported products an isonomic treatment.

The regulations are necessary for the consumer’s safety, thus avoiding the entry of wares without the minimum technical standards, and protecting domestic industry from unfair competition.
The bill awaits the Senate’s review.

Paraguay
Another approved item was PL 2105/07, which tries to grant legality to micro-undertakers who take their living from the import of products from Paraguay.

The bill will benefit small companies, which are entitled to the Simples Nacional. The bill was sent to presidential sanction.
The Bill 1650/07, though, which was transformed in Law 11.773/08, extends to Paraguayan truck drivers serving Brazilian freight companies the same taxation rules on the forecast income for Brazilian truck drivers.