The decision on the possible promulgation of parts of the PEC dos Precatórios, the so-called slicing, should only take place next Monday, informed two sources who are closely following the discussions.
Right after the approval of the Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) on Thursday (2) in the Senate, the president of the House, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), the proposal’s rapporteur and government leader, Fernando Bezerra Coelho (MDB -PE), and the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), met to discuss the matter.
Technicians and consultants from the two Houses were called in to assess the content of the PEC, and verify which points could already be enacted immediately, if this is the solution found.
Considered a priority by the government for opening a fiscal space of more than R$ 100 billion, in order to enable the payment of the new social program Auxílio Brasil, the PEC was significantly modified in its process in the Senate.
Under the constitutional and regimental rules, only the content in which the two Houses of Congress agree can be promulgated. For this reason, after approval in the Senate, it was returned to the Chamber.
Slicing PECs is an instrument that parliamentarians often resort to. In this case, the devices in which there is divergence would have to go through the entire procedure in the Chamber again: Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) and special committee, before two rounds of voting in plenary.
The day before, Lira already recognized that if the slice is chosen, there will not be enough time this year for the pending part to be analyzed in the Chamber.
The amendments promoted by Bezerra to garner votes in the Senate may enter the list of topics to be left for later. He changed the content of the PEC to determine, for example, that the aid will be permanent and removed from the text measures related to the securitization of tax debts, a topic that did not have a consensus in the House.
On the other hand, it inserted provisions linking the fiscal space to be opened with the change in the rule for the discharge of court-ordered debts to the expansion of social programs to combat poverty and extreme poverty, health, social security and social assistance.
“Another suggestion that we welcome… is to reduce the time that the sub-limit for court orders will be in effect. Instead of being in force for the entire time of the New Fiscal Regime, that is, until 2036, the sub-limit will last until 2026, allowing enough time for the Executive Branch to better monitor the process of calculation and formation of court orders and their fiscal risks, but without creating a liability of even more difficult budget execution”, said the rapporteur in the opinion approved on Thursday by the Senate.
The PEC intends to give the Executive room to put into practice the Brazilian Aid in the amount of 400 reais to replace the Bolsa Família, on a permanent basis. The intention is that it can be enacted – even in part – in time to allow payment of the benefit before Christmas.
In addition to changing the rule for payment of court orders, government debts whose payment was determined by the Court, the PEC modifies the period for correction of the spending ceiling by the Broad Consumer Price Index (IPCA).
Reference: CNN Brasil
