Chamber of Deputies to Begin Second Round of Voting on Social Welfare Reform

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Chamber of Deputies begins its second semester this week with the second round of voting on the Social Welfare reform.

During the first week of work in the Chamber, back from recess, deputies will resume the examination of the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) in at least eight sessions, from Tuesday, August 6th to Thursday, August 8th.

Submitted by the government in February, the proposal has been passed in the first round on July 10th, by 379 votes to 131. Voting was completed on July 12th, with changes to the text sent by the special committee.

Second round

Voting on proposed amendments to the Constitution in two rounds is a constitutionally binding requirement.

The Chamber president, Rodrigo Maia, has already reported that the vote on the social welfare reform in the second round will begin on August 6th.

During the proposal’s discussion phase, however, opposition deputies should maintain their first-round strategy, in an attempt to obstruct the vote.

The obstruction, according to legislative jargon, occurs when a group of deputies (opposed to a bill) tries to postpone the voting. This is not an uneven strategy.

Deputies may call, for instance, for the reading of the session minutes; the bill’s removal from the agenda; the postponement of the discussion; and roll-call voting.