Federal Senate approves project that shields regulatory agencies against budget blockages

The Senate approved, by 51 votes to 17, this Tuesday (16), the complementary bill that amends the Fiscal Responsibility Law (LRF) which amends the Fiscal Responsibility Law (LRF) to protect the budget of regulatory agencies from contingencies.
Under the new fiscal framework, the federal government needs to pursue a primary result target defined annually in the Budget Guidelines Law (LDO). For 2026, the objective is a primary surplus of 0.25% of GDP, maintaining the tolerance band of 0.25 percentage points plus or minus.
The proposal goes to the Chamber of Deputies for analysis. The project was approved this Tuesday morning by the Senate Infrastructure Committee (CI). The text would also have to go through the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE), but the senators approved a request to take the topic directly to the plenary.
With this shield, the expenses of regulatory agencies cannot be contingent, for example, to meet the target established in the fiscal framework.
The rapporteur, Marcos Rogério (PL-RO), expanded the scope of the project. The original proposal, by senator Laércio Oliveira (PP-SE), established the protection of the agencies' budget for expenses covered by their own revenue, inspection fees or by funds created for this purpose.
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Rogério's opinion foresees that protection will cover all activities of regulatory agencies, without the requirement of a specific source of financing.
The justification is that the distinction between core activities and secondary activities generates controversy and that most of the expenses of these institutions, including training, are covered by the regular budget - which would empty, in the rapporteur's view, a reservation linked only to funds.
The government is against the proposal on the grounds that prohibiting contingencies freezes the public manager's discretionary margin, creates a constraint in the budget and that "free" resources are already a small part of the budget.
This was the argument used by senator Soraya Thronicke (PSB-MS) to make a request for a review.
After an agreement, Laércio Oliveira, who assumed the presidency for Marcos Rogério to read the opinion, granted collective views until 2pm so that the project could be voted on after a public hearing with the directors of the agencies.
In the vote on the Budget Guidelines Law of 2026, Congress approved a rule that barred the freezing of agency regulation and inspection expenses, but the section ended up vetoed by President Lula.
Laércio Oliveira and Marcos Rogério stated at the meeting that they will coordinate with Davi Alcolumbre, president of Congress, the overturning of the presidential veto in the next joint session between the Chamber and Senate.
Plenary of the Federal Senate during the ordinary deliberative session. Agenda.
Carlos Moura/Agência Senado

Source: G1