Brazil’s administrative reform should be passed in committee in August -chairman

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Chamber of Deputies may finally move forward in the processing of the administrative reform legislation. The chairman of the special committee, deputy Fernando Monteiro (PP-PE), said voting on the text in the committee may occur between August 15 and 20, and in September in the plenary of the lower house.

Consequently, he said passing the reform in both houses of Congress by the end of the year is feasible, when the window to discuss politically sensitive issues will close due to the 2022 elections.

The plan is to expedite the process and start debating the proposal in both Houses concurrently, said Monteiro, elected last week as chair of the parliamentary committee responsible for analyzing the bill.

The procedure would be the same as during the Social Welfare reform, in which Senate members informally discussed the changes introduced by the Chamber to try to circumvent political opposition to the text.

Many civil servant groups, such as police officers, support President Jair Bolsonaro, who has so far made no move to advocate the administrative reform that his Economy Minister, Paulo Guedes, seeks to pass.

However, Monteiro, said he has not received any request from Bolsonaro to hold the bill and sees the economic team willing to move forward with the text, along with tax reform, by the end of 2021.

The government’s PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) is moderate, said Monteiro, and has not been adequately conveyed to society. In his opinion, Congress should include not only the federal executive branch, but also the legislative and judiciary, where there are more privileges, such as 60-day vacations for some positions.

He believes state and municipal employees should also be included.

“The bill’s aim is to modernize and render the public sector more efficient,” he said. The intended changes include more steps for public servants to reach higher salaries, lower starting salaries; stability with job mobility within the public service; and temporary hiring.

The government’s text is confusing, cold and short and will undergo many changes in the Chamber, he said. “It is essential to clarify the text to guarantee acquired rights and, at the same time, prevent future interpretations from resulting in litigation in courts.”

The public sector reform is a highly controversial topic and has for decades been opposing civil servants and private companies. The way Guedes began advocating the reform undermined the debate by comparing civil servants to “parasites” during a public event last year, which generated opposition to his proposal by Congress and labor unions.

Monteiro hopes to convey that the changes are in favor of society and civil servants, who will have the chance to include better working conditions in the bill.