In this article, we compare the prerogatives of leaders who coordinate legislative processes and distribute positions in the House and the Senate. The comparison is carried out through analysis of the regiments and resolutions that have regulated the dynamic of the two Houses since 1989. The Senate Daily Reports, reports put together by the House News Agency, and studies that deal with Brazilian legislative dynamics illustrate our analysis and provide an empirical base for a variety of inferences. Analysis reveals the central role of leadership in coordinating the legal process and in the distribution of positions, especially within the House of Representatives, that is, the importance these actors have in allowing members of parliament to go beyond the practical imperatives of collective action and maximize their preferences. It also reveals important institutional changes that have positively influenced the content of what has been delegated to leadership. To the extent that leadership has been strengthened and, consequently, political parties as well, these changes point to the strengthening of Legislative power vis-à-vis the Executive.
political parties; legislative delegation; internal regiment; House of Representatives; Federal Senate
