Port Law: Special Committee Installed in the Chamber of Deputies

The special committee that will analyze and issue a report on Bill (PL) 733/2025—which proposes a revision of the Port Law (12.815/2013)—was installed yesterday in the Chamber of Deputies. The work plan will be presented only at the legislative session on August 6, due to the parliamentary recess (July 18 to 31).

The bill is subject to final consideration by the committee members. In other words, once approved by the group, it can proceed directly to the Senate without a vote in the Chamber’s plenary. A plenary vote will only occur if a motion is filed by one-tenth of the deputies (51 lawmakers) and is approved by the House.

In this case, the bill would be approved in a single round of voting by a simple majority. Once passed by both chambers and sanctioned by the Presidency, it will replace the current 2013 law.

Composition
Murilo Galdino (Republicanos-PB) was elected president of the committee, and Arthur Maia (União-BA) was chosen as rapporteur. Paulo Alexandre Barbosa (PSDB), president of the Mixed Parliamentary Front of Ports and Airports (FPPA), is one of the three vice presidents of the committee, along with Daniela Reinehr (PL-SC) and Julio Lopes (PT-RJ), who are also members of the FPPA.

Alongside Barbosa, two other federal deputies from the Baixada Santista region are part of the special committee: Rosana Valle (PL) is a full member, and Delegado Da Cunha (PP) is an alternate.
“We will listen, study, and, above all, act to make the port system a benchmark for Brazil and the world,” said committee president Murilo Galdino.

The committee’s work will be carried out over 40 sessions, including the one held yesterday. Lawmakers—whether committee members or not—have five sessions after the parliamentary recess to submit amendments to the bill.

Galdino clarified that the 491 amendments already submitted during review by the Chamber’s Labor Committee “remain valid and will be analyzed by the committee.”

Rapporteur Arthur Maia emphasized that this is a positive agenda: “In the sense that, together, we can find the best solutions for Brazil’s development,” noting that the committee president will set the schedule for public hearings after the legislative recess.

Minister Involvement
Augusto Coutinho (Republicanos-PE) suggested that the committee invite the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, to participate in the public hearings. “He is attentive to this matter. In this project, we need to tackle key issues such as labor relations and the system’s debureaucratization.”

The Proposal
PL 733/2025 is authored by Leur Lomanto Júnior (União-BA) and mirrors the draft prepared by the commission of legal experts appointed by the Federal Chamber in 2024, which proposed the new Port Law (Ceportos).
The bill proposes integrated environmental licensing for public ports, eliminating the need for individual licenses for port and cruise terminals; free negotiation of port fees, in compliance with competition rules; and the end of exclusivity for casual dockworkers, allowing private operators to hire certified workers.

Other proposed changes include the transfer of federal powers to the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), such as granting private port concessions and regulating backport terminals; extending current lease contracts by up to 70 years; and making the Port Authority Councils (CAPs) deliberative bodies.

Source: A Tribuna

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