Research objective: The argumentative structure present in the process of elaborating the Regulatory Framework for Civil Society Organizations (MROSC), Federal Law N. 13,019 of 2014, is analyzed over the last 22 years.Theoretical framework: The category "public sphere" is mobilized within the scope of deliberative democracy and the legitimacy of norms from Jurgen Habermas and commentators.Methodology: The study is theoretical-empirical, exploratory and qualitative in nature. The data were collected by documentary research in the media: Platform for a New MROSC, bills, provisional measures, parliamentary committee reports, videos of public hearings, newspaper news and others. In the analysis, categories were formulated, namely: valorization of civil society organizations; transparency in the application of public resources; legal certainty and effectiveness in partnerships.Results: We identified the elements of the Habermasian public sphere theory and the deliberation model in the case of civil society organizations and actors. We record the debate in contemporary, informal and formal media, exclusive or specially constructed, such as the Platform for a New MROSC, or already established media such as Youtube, Facebook, associated with arenas such as institutional public hearings, seminars and meetings.Originality: The article innovates by describing and understanding the argumentative structure present in the process of elaborating the MROSC, Federal Law N. 13,019 of 2014 analyzed over the last 22 years. Furthermore, it demonstrates that deliberative democracy is an instrument of social transformation, carried out by civil society, due to the opening of public channels of dialogue.Theoretical and practical contributions: The examination of the manifestations contributes to the understanding of relevant issues in the application of the law and points out that the deliberation, using publicity mechanisms, is, in addition to being an instrument of change and communication for civil society, a suggestive learning ground for the implementation of MROSC.