After nomination to the STF, Alcolumbre schedules vote on project with high fiscal impact
The president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), announced that next Tuesday he will vote on a project on the pensions of health agents that could have a billion-dollar impact on municipalities and the Union. The announcement, made this Thursday, comes hours after the appointment of the Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, for the vacancy left by Luís Roberto Barroso in the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
Alcolumbre signals to allies dissatisfaction with Lula’s nomination of Messias to the STF
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Lula’s decision deepened the uneasiness between the Palácio do Planalto and Alcolumbre. According to allies, the president was not consulted by Lula before the decision and had already expressed discomfort with the way the process was being conducted. His favorite, and also that of most senators, was senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), with whom Lula met at the beginning of the week before finalizing the name of Messias.
“Next Tuesday (25), the Federal Senate will take a decisive step to correct a historical injustice. I will put to a vote in the Plenary the Complementary Law No. 185/2024, authored by Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo, which regulates the special retirement of Community Health Agents and Agents to Combat Endemic Diseases”, said Alcolumbre, in a note sent to the press.
The proposal guarantees full retirement (full salary) and parity (adjustments equal to those on active duty) for agents who meet the minimum age and length of service requirements.
Men will be able to retire at 52 and women at 50, as long as they have worked in the role for at least 20 years. There is also the possibility of retirement after 15 years in the activity and another 10 in another occupation.
According to Alcolumbre, the proposal represents a milestone for thousands of professionals who dedicate their lives to the direct care of the Brazilian population. “When we discuss this matter, we reaffirm that these agents are a priority for the Brazilian Parliament. It is good news for the SUS, for the country and, above all, for those who support public health in the most vulnerable communities.”
The justification for the project does not include the fiscal impact, but a similar initiative approved in the Chamber could bring an additional cost of R$800 billion to the public coffers over 50 years – R$270 billion for city halls and up to R$530 billion for the Union. The estimates are contained in technical notes from the Ministry of Social Security and consider the actuarial deficit, that is, the hole that the measure represents in the social security regimes.
Currently, there are around 400,000 community health and endemic disease agents across the country. The majority of them are city hall employees. Around 2,100 municipalities have their own pension schemes, but a group of 3,400 municipalities do not have their own schemes and are linked to the INSS. Therefore, the impact for the Union.
