Brasilia - Congress is back in regular session today, following 26 days in extraordinary session during the legislative recess. The task before the congress is to deal with the bills they were supposed to vote on during the extraordinary session (the 26-day estraordinary session consisted of 20 working days; but voting took place on only 8 days; each one of the 513 deputies and 81 senators got paid R$25,600 for the extraordinary session).

Among the many bills waiting to be dealt with in the Senate are: Judiciary reform, biosecurity, bankruptcy, environment (Atlantic rainforest protection) and electricity sector rules. In the Chamber of Deputies: the so-called "parallel social security" bill (which was the major reason the extraordinary session was convoked), parts of the tax reform bill, the Public-Private Partnership bill (PPP) and slave-type labor.

The congress as a whole still has to approve the administration's Multi-Year Plan (PPA for 2004 to 2007), which was supposed to be approved in December along with the budget. (AB)