The Chamber of Deputies approved, this Monday (29), a draft resolution that aims to increase the transparency of the amendments made by the General Rapporteur on the Budget – known as the secret budget.
The approved text is senator Marcelo Castro’s (MDB-PI) substitute for the National Congressional Resolution Project (PRN) 4/21. The document determines a ceiling for amendments in the approximate amount of R$ 16.2 billion and establishes that they be disclosed on the internet, however, without specifying whether the name of the congressman will also have to be disclosed.
Castro rejected the 22 proposed amendments on the grounds that the idea was to resolve the situation as a matter of urgency. “What we are doing is an emergency thing, to save what was committed, what remains to be committed and save the budget”, he said.
According to the rapporteur, the opinion complies 100% with the decision of the Supreme Court (STF) that, on the last 10th, suspended the general rapporteur’s amendments to the Union Budget. Castro supported publicity for the nomination of the rapporteur’s amendments from now on, but not retroactively. “There is no need for the appeal to reach a municipality and not know who the congressman who requested it was,” he said.
The leader of the PP, Deputy Cacá Leão (BA), recalled that it was the rapporteur of the Budget Guidelines Law (LDO) who created this type of amendment. “I am very proud to have created this item because thanks to it, we know where the resources distributed by the general rapporteur will go. Today, all agreements are made in the open,” he stated.
protests
The session featured protests from several parliamentarians. Many of them, such as Deputy Talíria Petrone (Psol-RJ), argued that the session should be aimed at considering vetoes and not the project in question. Others, such as Adriana Ventura (Novo-SP), argued that the topic was too complex to be debated and voted on in a single session.
The fact that the rapporteur’s substitute does not specify whether the names of the congressmen will be disclosed made many deputies question the real transparency of the resolution and whether it would meet the demands of the STF. According to Alessandro Molon (PSB-RJ), the text does not guarantee that the applicants’ names will be linked to the approved amendments.
“Public money cannot be allocated based on the government’s affinity or not. It has to meet impersonal and isonomic criteria”, he said.
senate votes next
As PRN 4/21 is a resolution of the National Congress, the text must be approved by the two Houses in a joint session. However, due to the pandemic, the House and Senate are voting separately. The expectation is that, even today, senators will appreciate the matter.
*With information from the Chamber Agency
*Subject changed at 10 pm to add information
