Congress overturns veto and government will have to make additional payments for health in disaster areas | Policy

The National Congress overturned, this Thursday (9), a veto by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) that exempted the federal government from making additional transfers of resources to the SUS for municipalities and states that are in a situation of public calamity.

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To come into force, the proposal will still be promulgated by the president of Congress and published in the Official Gazette.

The excerpt is part of a proposal that made changes to the instruments for preventing and recovering areas affected by disasters in the Law that created the National Civil Protection and Defense Policy, of 2012.

With the veto overturned, Whenever a calamity situation is recognized, the Union must carry out an additional transfer of resources allocated to the Unified Health System (SUS).

The initial idea of ​​the proposal was that municipalities and states affected by disasters could receive reinforcement in “priority and continued assistance to the physical and mental health of people affected by disasters”.

The section had been vetoed by the president in December 2023. The justification was that the government had its own competence to decide on how to provide assistance to the population affected by some calamity.

“Despite the legislator’s good intentions, the provision goes against the public interest given that it is the Union’s responsibility to guarantee the necessary assistance to the population affected by disasters, in accordance with the actions foreseen in the contingency plans and other necessary response measures, including through of additional credit to guarantee assistance to the affected population. In this sense, it would not be appropriate to define in advance additional transfers for a specific purpose, despite the characteristics of each case”, stated the president in the veto.

Another veto overturned by Congress involved the form of compensation established by the National Policy on the Rights of Populations Affected by Dams (PNAB)in December last year.

The first states that Compensation for material losses in the value of properties and improvements, loss of profits and for maintaining “family living standards” must be paid in cash.

Another veto overturned by Congress sets a 12-month deadline for the government to sign up and register new properties offered to the population, both urban and rural, who need to be relocated.