In a government victory, the deputies kept the expression “state of emergency” in the text of the PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution), which creates a voucher for truck drivers and taxi drivers, doubles the value of Auxílio Gás and expands Auxílio Brasil to R$ 600 by the end of the year, at an estimated cost of R$41.25 billion.
The expression was the solution found to allow President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to break the spending ceiling and create new social benefits a few months before the presidential vote, without violating the electoral law.
The basic text was approved on Tuesday night (12) by 393 to 14 — at least 308 votes were needed. This Wednesday, the deputies rejected, by 361 votes to 142, the emphasis to delete the expression “state of emergency” from the text.
They still need to analyze other suggestions to change the PEC. Afterwards, the proposal must go through a second round vote. If there are no changes, the PEC goes on for enactment.
The PEC is one of Bolsonaro’s bets to try to improve his performance in polls. Currently, he appears in second place, behind former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The vote came a day after Lira suspended the session because of internet glitches and inconsistencies in the Chamber of Deputies’ voting system. The Federal Police opened a preliminary investigation to investigate the technical problems.
The PF opened a preliminary investigation this Tuesday (12) to investigate flaws in the internet and inconsistencies in the voting system of the Chamber of Deputies.
THE Sheet found that the company responsible for providing the service informed the PF that it had technical problems because of a cable break, which was related to a work and affected the internet in several places, not only in the Chamber of Deputies.
This Wednesday, Lira decided to resume virtual sessions until Friday to try to finalize the PEC vote. With this, it will be possible to be present remotely, which increased the quorum for voting on the text, reducing the risk of government defeat on important points, such as the very suppression of the state of emergency foreseen in the opposition’s highlight.
The announcement of the virtual session was made by Lira shortly after the session resumed, around 11 am. The meeting that was taking place was closed so that the new, virtual one could begin.
This Wednesday, Lira also read a note about the technical problems registered by the Chamber on Tuesday. According to him, the vote was impeded by the interruption of Internet connectivity in the Chamber, “an indispensable service for the use of the parliamentary infoleg.”
The president of the Chamber qualified the facts as “serious” and said that they deserve a rigorous investigation by this House. “The technical team of the Technology Board of the Chamber of Deputies found an interruption in internet access, on 07/12/2022 (Tuesday), around 7 pm. The service is provided to the Chamber by two operators, so redundant, to avoid interruptions”, he said.
In the note, he stated that, after a preliminary investigation with the support of the PF, “it was confirmed that there was a cut in the connection of the operator Lumen”.
“The company, in several communiqués sent to the Chamber of Deputies, provided information in the sense that there was an interruption of services due to fiber optic disruption in the territory of Brasília. The serious problem, according to the company, affected several customers in the Federal District a. services resumed at 2 am.”
“There was also instability in the second link hired by the Chamber of Deputies, as reported.”
The note also talks about the opening of the preliminary investigation procedure at the Federal Police Superintendence in the Federal District.
The PEC was speeded up by Lira, an ally of Bolsonaro. Instead of following the regimental rite of having the admissibility analyzed by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) and only then being referred to a special commission to analyze the merits, the text was appended to that of the biofuels PEC, which had already passed the initial stage and was on special commission.
The PEC on social benefits was added to PEC 15, which adds a guarantee of an advantageous tax situation for non-polluting fuels to the article of the Constitution that deals with the right of all Brazilians to an ecologically balanced environment.
The text does not exactly establish the tax rates that must be levied on biofuels. These percentages must be established by means of a supplementary law.
The PEC that expands social benefits, in turn, has a total cost of BRL 41.25 billion — higher than the BRL 38.75 billion originally agreed.
The cost of expanding Auxílio Brasil is estimated at R$ 26 billion from August to December. To double the value of the Gas Aid, the cost is R$ 1.05 billion.
The proposal provides for a financial aid of R$ 2 billion to taxi drivers, granted between July 1 and December 31. The PEC also allocates R$ 5.4 billion to create an aid of R$ 1,000 for self-employed truck drivers, effective between July 1 and December 31.
The text increases by R$ 500 million the supplementation of the Alimenta Brasil program, which finances the purchase of food for donation to low-income families. There is still R$ 2.5 billion in transfers to states and municipalities to subsidize their public transport systems.
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