PL, PP and PT are the ones that will have the most ‘blank check’ amendments in 2023

PL, PP and PT are the three parties that lead the list of acronyms with more parliamentarians who will have ‘blank check’ amendments next year.

Congress almost doubled the amount to be transferred directly to state governments and city halls, without a specific destination, through these amendments, which are criticized for their lack of transparency.

This type of transfer does not require the prior signing of an agreement and forecasting the use of resources for a previously determined project or program. For this reason, “unstamped amendments” are questioned by control bodies, given the difficulty of keeping track of the expenditure of public money.

Their value went from BRL 3.7 billion to BRL 6.7 billion in the 2023 Budget. This increase was due to the agreement to redistribute the budget for the rapporteur’s amendments, extinguished by the STF (Federal Supreme Court) last week last.

The PL will have R$ 847 million in direct transfer amendments next year. The PP indicated BRL 800 million in this modality, and the PT, BRL 675 million.

Amendments are ways for congressmen to set aside public funds from the federal budget and send money for works and projects in their constituencies. This increases the political capital of parliamentarians.

Today there are four types of amendments: individual amendments (to which every deputy and senator is entitled), bench amendments (legislators from each state define priorities for the region), commission amendments (defined by members of congressional collegiate bodies) and rapporteur (which were declared unconstitutional and were distributed by political criteria, allowing more influential congressmen to supply their electoral strongholds).

Amid clashes with the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government, Congress approved, in December 2019, a change in the Constitution to create a mechanism that releases individual amendments in the form of direct transfers. The argument was to speed up the resources for states and municipalities.

The proposal was presented by Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR) in 2015, when she was a senator. Currently, Gleisi is a deputy and national president of the PT.

Therefore, since the end of 2019, the Constitution has provided that these direct transfers can be made in the case of individual amendments, without a value limit.

Before the agreement on the redistribution of the rapporteur’s amendments, the Budget project estimated R$ 11.7 billion for individual amendments. This amount rose to R$ 21.2 billion – R$ 6.7 billion of which was allocated in the “blank check” mode.

Unstamped amendments must be inspected by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), by the Federal Comptroller General (CGU) and by the internal control bodies and audit courts of the respective entities.

But, since then, TCU members have pointed out risks to the release of this money without due transparency because of the vacuum in inspection.

As resources are transferred directly, contracts and budget processes do not occur at the federal level. But the state control bodies also have not verified the application of the budget.

When the amendment is carried out by the ministries and the Federal Executive, it is necessary to sign agreements, hire companies and prove the ability to carry out the work, for example.

In the unstamped amendment modality, the parliamentarian leaves little trace in the federal budget. The indication is made only with the name of the deputy or senator, in addition to the state or municipality that will receive the money.

In the case of this type of amendment, governors and mayors decide where they will apply the resources.

Gleisi set aside BRL 6 million in an individual “blank check” amendment. The amount will be divided between the state of Paraná and the municipalities of Colombo and Pontal do Paraná.

The mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), also made indications in this modality. He will have R$ 16 million for the state of Alagoas.

The quota of R$ 16 million is the largest in the Chamber. Lira and 60 other deputies reserved that amount for unstamped amendments.

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), was left with R$ 23 million to be distributed to Minas Gerais.

In the Senate, the highest quota will be R$ 29.5 million. The former president of the House, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), and five other senators will be entitled to this amount in “blank check” amendments next year.