Key Facts

—The move. Speaker Hugo Motta named Mendonça Filho to write the report on an amendment cutting the age of adult criminal liability from 18 to 16.

—The clock. The 38-member committee begins work in the second week of August, after the parliamentary recess.

—The first hurdle. The judiciary committee cleared the text 44 to 18 on 10 June, a ruling on procedure rather than merit.

—The maths. Passage needs 308 deputies twice, then 49 senators twice, before anything reaches the Constitution.