The president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), decided to postpone the vote on the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) that provides for the payment of social benefits until the end of the year. His intention was to vote and approve the PEC today (7) so that the enactment could take place as quickly as possible, but the low number of attendees at today’s session (7) put a brake on Lira’s intentions.
“Just to clarify, I will not risk this PEC or the next PEC with this quorum today. There being nothing else to discuss, I will close the work”, said Lira, rescheduling the vote on the proposal for Tuesday (12). The other PEC scheduled for today dealt with the national salary floor for nursing professionals.
Lira noted the low quorum after voting on a request to close the discussion. The application received 303 votes in favor and 91 against. As the PEC requires 308 votes to be approved, there was the possibility that the proposal, considered important for the government, could be defeated in plenary.
The PEC brings measures to reduce the value of fuel and also provides for the payment of social benefits until the end of the year. The text has been approved hours before the special commission and proceeded to the plenary.
The article consolidates the writings of two PECs (15/22 and 1/22), without changing the merits already approved in the Senate for PEC 1/22. PEC 1/22, which provides for the payment of social benefits, was appended to PEC 15/22, which deals with fuels and was at an advanced stage of processing in the Chamber.
The text provides for an increase of R$ 200 in Auxílio Brasil until December. The PEC also proposes, until the end of the year, an aid of R$ 1 thousand for truck drivers, kitchen gas vouchers and reinforcement of the Alimenta Brasil program, in addition to installments of R$ 200 for taxi drivers, financing of free public transport for seniors and compensation for states that reduce the tax burden on biofuels.
According to the legislation, there can be no granting of new benefits or distribution of values in an election year, except in exceptional cases, such as the state of emergency. Therefore, there is a provision in the PEC that provides for the declaration of a state of emergency in the country until December 31, justified by the “extraordinary and unpredictable” rise in oil and fuel prices and their social impacts.
debates
At the beginning of the session, the New Party presented a point of order asking for the annulment of the vote in the special committee, understanding that PEC 1/22 could not be appended to PEC 15/22. Novo also asked for the regulatory procedure of PEC 1/22, which would delay the approval of the PEC beyond the deadline intended by the government. Lira, however, denied the point of order and affirmed that there is no impediment to the joining of the PECs, even though each one of them is in different stages of processing and affirmed that there are precedents for these procedures in the House.
Deputy Kim Kataguiri (União Brasil-SP) asked for the annulment of the vote on PEC 1/22 in the Special Committee, as he understood that the deadline for submitting amendments had not been met. Lira reiterated that there was procedural support for the procedure adopted by the Special Commission.
After attempts to prevent the vote, the discussion of merits began. Deputy Danilo Forte (União-CE), rapporteur of the text, defended the approval of the PEC. “We want to help Brazilians get out of the crisis. Lowering taxes and securing subsidies for family subsistence with dignity is the task of all of us,” he said.
For deputy Captain Alberto Neto (PL-AM), the PEC is important because it benefits the poorest. “Those who are hungry are in a hurry and we have built a ramp to lift the people out of a situation of vulnerability,” he declared.
For Alexis Fonteyne (Novo-SP), the proposal has a populist and electoral character, in addition to considering it a “fiscal irresponsibility”. “This PEC is useless, it doesn’t solve it, it’s populism. Precisely in the election year, in the pre-election, to say that you are doing a good thing”.
As in the Senate, opposition parliamentarians, despite criticizing the federal government’s social and economic policies, declared a vote in favor of the PEC. The allegation was the increase in the value of Auxílio Brasil, which will increase the income of the poorest by R$ 200 until December. “We want dignity and respect, and we always defend it. And it is once again in her name that we will vote in favor [à PEC]”, said Alencar Santana (PT-SP).
The request to close the discussion was, in principle, the last obstacle before the text was voted on. It was at this moment that Lira, due to the number of parliamentarians able to vote in the session, decided to postpone the vote to Tuesday, a day when the quorum is not usually a problem.
