By Richard Mann, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Presidential Chief of Staff Onyx Lorenzoni (DEM) has offered an extra R$40 million (US$10 million) in parliamentary amendments by 2022 to each Member who votes favorably in regard to Social Security reform.
The information has been confirmed by party leaders of DEM, PP, PSD, PR, PRB, and Solidarity to Folha de São Paulo.
According to the newspaper, the proposal has been made in the home of the mayor, Rodrigo Maia (DEM-RJ).
Currently, congressmen can receive R$15 million (US$3.75 million) in parliamentary amendments each year. At the suggestion of Lorenzoni, the numbers could reach R$25 million (US$6.25 million).
This represents a 65 percent increase in the amount that each Congress member is entitled to under the Federal Budget for 2019 for works and infrastructure investments in the electoral colleges themselves.
Despite the proposal, no agreement was reached with parliamentarians.
The Presidential Chief of Staff would not go into details on the source of the extra amount, but Folha reports that the money would come from outside the amendments budget.
So far, the Chief of Staff and President Jair Bolsonaro (PSL) have not taken a position on the issue.