After the postponement of the presentation of the Transition PEC due to lack of consensus between the new government and the National Congress, the proposed Constitutional Amendment was finally forwarded last Monday (28) to the Federal Senate by Marcelo Castro (MDB-PI), rapporteur of the Budget bill for 2023. On Tuesday, the 29th, she obtained the 27 signatures necessary to enter the Senate, and will now be forwarded to the House's CCJ.

The main objective of the PEC is to remove R$ 175 billion from the spending ceiling so that the value of R$ 600 from Bolsa Família is maintained from 2023 and an additional R$ 150 per child is also paid for families with children under 6 years.

The amounts were promised during the electoral campaign of elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). The new government's transition team intended to permanently remove social benefits from the spending cap to allow for more investment in the program. But the text presented last Thursday (24) sets the validity of the measure at 4 years, as politicians and economic agents chose not to define a deadline.

In addition to removing the Bolsa Família program from the spending ceiling for the next four years, the Transition PEC also proposes: 

According to Senator Marcelo Castro, the budget left by the Bolsonaro Government for 2023 does not provide values for fundamental programs and, therefore, needs to be reworked. He explained that “There is no money for school lunches or for the Popular Pharmacy“.

Former Minister of Finance and Planning, Nelson Barbosa, and a member of the government's economic transition team reiterated that there was no money in the budget for Brazil Aid of R$ 600. Bolsonaro sent the proposal to the National Congress in August this year, proposing a reduction in financial aid to R$ 405 in 2023, however, in his campaign, the president promised to maintain the value of the benefit at R$ 600.

“In fact, in the Budget for 2023, there is no provision for maintaining Auxílio Brasil, or the Bolsa Família program, at the current value. Therefore, it is necessary to approve the PEC so that millions of people dependent on this benefit are not harmed“, said Barbosa.

To start the process, the text needed to be signed by at least 27 senators. It received 28 signatures on the morning of Tuesday, the 29th, and is now being analyzed by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission).

Castro said he is certain that the PEC will be approved by December 10th, as he must present his final report on the 2023 budget on the 16th, which still needs to be approved by the end of the year.

Now at the CCJ, senator Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP) must nominate a rapporteur for PEC 32/2022. The matter will initially be voted on in the committee and will then be forwarded to the Senate Plenary, where it must be submitted to two rounds of voting. To achieve approval, the text needs 3/5 votes in favor, totaling 49 votes in each round.

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