In a meeting with Senate leaders this Monday morning (19), the president of the House, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) presented four selected projects to try to make the nursing floor viable. The measure – which would guarantee the payment of at least R$ 4,750 for nurses, R$ 3,325 for nursing technicians and R$ 2,375 for nursing assistants and midwives – was approved by Congress and sanctioned by President Jair Bolsonarobut was suspended by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) on the grounds that congressmen did not identify the source of funds to cover the expenses.
The senators estimate that the financial impact of the salary increase will be, at most, R$ 16 billion for the public coffers. Among the projects under analysis, PLP 44/22, authored by Senator Luiz Carlos Heinze (PP-RS), is pointed out as the most immediate alternative to taking the law off the drawing board. The project authorizes states and municipalities to reallocate resources stopped in health funds. If approved, the project would release around R$ 7 billion to the public coffers.
Seen as a long-term solution, PL 798/21 is being studied, which reissues the resource repatriation program; PL 458/21, which deals with the updating of assets, in addition to PL 1417/21, which provides for emergency financial aid for Santa Casas and philanthropic hospitals.
In order not to delay the solution too long, more controversial and non-consensual proposals, such as the legalization of gambling and mini-tax reforms, will not enter the debate. Another concern is with professionals working in the private sector. In this case, the idea is to relieve the category’s payroll. Pacheco is expected to meet today with the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, with Minister Ciro Nogueira (Civil House) and with Célio Faria (Government Secretariat) to discuss the proposals presented. The president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), must also sit with the president of the Senate in an attempt to unlock the floor. Tomorrow, Pacheco should also meet with the president of the STF, Minister Rosa Weber, to discuss the matter.
Also during the meeting, the minority leader in the House, Jean Paul Prates (PT-RN) presented a proposal for the rapporteur’s amendments, the RP 9, to be used to pay the floor for municipal and state servers in the category. In Prates’ assessment, the measure is the quickest solution to the impasse.
