Lira and Pacheco defend extraordinary measures for Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul will need extraordinary measures for reconstruction work after the floods in the state, said this Sunday (5) the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, and the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco. In statements after a meeting of representatives from the federal, state and city governments, the two stated that they will work for the National Congress to draw up a package of actions to reduce bureaucracy and expand financial aid to the state.

“We have the responsibility to discuss, this week, a path so that we can develop a completely extraordinary measure,” said Lira. The president of the Chamber reported having called a meeting of the House’s leadership group for this Monday (6) to discuss what can be done.

Pacheco stated that he will seek to reduce bureaucracy as much as possible to help rebuild the state. The president of the Senate reiterated that Congress has experience in legislating under extraordinary circumstances, citing the constitutional amendment approved during the covid-19 pandemic.

“There are no limitations, there are no legal restrictions of ordinary times. There is a need to remove bureaucracy, obstacles and limitations from the shelf and table so that Rio Grande do Sul lacks nothing for its reconstruction. We did this during the pandemic with great pride within the scope of the National Congress with a proposed amendment to the constitution that we called the PEC of War, with numerous exceptional legislative measures”, highlighted Pacheco.

Vice-president of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Minister Edson Fachin promised that the court will work to create a “special and transitional” legal regime for Rio Grande do Sul. “Here we are to express, more than our solidarity, here we are together, the Judiciary is together with the other Powers of the Republic and will be together especially from the perspective of adopting a special emergency and transitional legal regime for the environmental catastrophe in Rio Grande do Sul”, said the minister, who represents the STF in the delegation of federal authorities that traveled to the state.

Governor

The three made the statements after flying over the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and meeting with government officials from Rio Grande do Sul and mayors from Rio Grande do Sul. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, who received the delegation, called for the creation of special credit lines for at least 300 of the state’s 497 municipalities and also expressed his support for making tax legislation more flexible, as occurred during the Covid pandemic. -19.

“The public authorities here need to see and understand, President Lira, President Pacheco, the situation. The public sector is suffocated by this situation and will not be able to provide answers if we do not address exceptional actions also from a fiscal point of view”, declared the governor.

In recent months, Rio Grande do Sul, together with states in the Southeast and Goiás, has been pushing for a renegotiation of debts with the Union. The governors are asking for a change in the debt index.

Currently, states’ debts to the Union are corrected by the Broad National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) plus 4% per year, or by the Selic Rate (basic interest in the economy), whichever is the lowest index prevails. They ask that the index be increased to a fixed 3% per year or the IPCA plus 1% per year. Initially announced for the end of April, the bill with debt correction should be sent to Congress this month.