The president of , (-AP), announced this Thursday (20) that he will take to the House’s voting plenary session next week a project with a potential impact of billions of reais on public accounts, hours after the president () made official his appointment to the (Supreme Federal Court).
After meeting with Messias at the Palácio da Alvorada, in Brasília, Lula late in the morning appointed him to fill the vacancy opened in the court with the departure of .
de (-MG), his predecessor and one of his main allies. Lula’s and complained to interlocutors about not having been informed of the decision by the PT member before it was made public.
The complementary bill that should be taken to the plenary next Tuesday (25) regulates the special retirement of community health agents and agents fighting endemic diseases. According to Alcolumbre, with the vote, the Senate “will take a decisive step to correct a historical injustice.”
The proposal guarantees full retirement (right to retire with the same active salary) and parity (guarantee of the same adjustment granted to active employees) for agents who meet the minimum age and length of service requirements. The article was authored by senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB).
In October, , establishing temporary contracts and relaxing the rules for these agents. The measure, considered a bombshell, was dubbed “Pension counter-reform” by members of the Lula government, and technicians said it would have an estimated impact of between R$20 billion and R$200 billion in the coming years.
At that time, the PEC only advanced in the Chamber after leaders pressured the Palácio do Planalto to support the issue, at the risk of accelerating in Congress the processing of the bill that Alcolumbre now says he will guide.
The day after the vote, however, at the request of members of the Civil House and the Secretariat for Institutional Relations, the government leader in the Chamber, José Guimarães (PT-CE), presented a request to the presidency of the House to change the government’s orientation on this matter, indicating that the Executive was against moving forward on the issue.
The president of the Senate did not indicate in the note released to the press whether the PEC approved in the Chamber will also be processed in the Senate. “The proposal represents a milestone for thousands of professionals who dedicate their lives to the direct care of the Brazilian population,” wrote the parliamentarian.
“When discussing this matter, we reaffirm that these agents are a priority for the Brazilian Parliament. It is good news for the SUS, for the country and, above all, for those who support public health in the most vulnerable communities”, says the note.
Lula’s choice to nominate Messias to the STF went against the leadership of the Senate and has the potential to strain the government’s relationship with the Senate.
Until then, Alcolumbre had been acting as one of the chief executive’s main allies in Congress. Allies of the parliamentarian also say that the relationship with the government leader in the Senate, (PT-BA), is strained. Interlocutors say that Alcolumbre is not speaking to the senator.
Nominating names for vacancies in the Supreme Court is the prerogative of the Presidency of the Republic, but the names must be endorsed by senators. It is up to the Senate to approve the president’s nomination for the STF, and this requires the minimum support of 41 of the 81 senators, in a secret vote.
