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The Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday (30) the provisional measure that reestablishes the Bolsa Família program. After efforts by government leaders, the MP included the payment of gas assistance, which could expire this week.
The deputies analyzed and rejected a proposed change to the main text. With that, the proposal goes to the Senate.
Although the measure is scheduled to expire in June, the deputies brought forward their analysis to incorporate the benefit for the purchase of cooking gas, as established in another text that would lose its validity on Friday (2).
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The inclusion of one provisional measure within another was a way found by the government to get around the impasse between the Chamber and the Senate, which had been delaying the analysis of these proposals for months.
The Brazilian Gas Aid Program was established by a law in November 2021, sanctioned by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), with the aim of mitigating the impacts of the price of gas cylinders.
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Initially, the payment corresponded to 50% of the value of the 13-kilo gas cylinder. However, since August of last year, families have been receiving the full value of the cylinder. In January, Lula issued a new provisional measure to maintain the full benefit – this text may lose its validity.
The rapporteur, Dr. Francisco (PT-PI), justified the inclusion of the benefit by highlighting that “the high cost of cooking gas has led the needy population to seek less efficient alternatives for preparing food, such as the use of firewood, which ends up causing health problems”.
Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) said this Tuesday (30) that the Senate will make a concentrated effort to approve the provisional measure in time to make it possible to maintain the benefit.
“We are awaiting the Chamber’s consideration. As soon as they consider it, we will vote in the Senate within the deadline, even if it means working through the night to meet the deadline. We will have to make a great effort to be present, regardless of the time, to deliver these government measures through these provisional measures to Brazilian society,” he said.
If the Senate does not approve the proposal in time, the government is already considering the possibility of issuing a decree to make payment possible in June.
The approved proposal guarantees a minimum value of R$ 600 per family, with an additional R$ 150 per child up to six years old and an additional R$ 50 per child or adolescent (from seven to 18 years old), pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding.
The proposal also establishes conditions for receiving the benefit, such as minimum school attendance.
What are the values of the program?
Each family member is entitled to R$ 142 – valid for all beneficiaries.
With that, each
family will receive at least R$ 600 per month.
There will be an additional R$ 150 for each child up to 6 years old.
An additional R$ 50 will be granted to children over 7 years old, young people under 18 years old, pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding (this additional amount was added by parliamentarians).
These values are cumulative and the government will have a maximum period of two years to adjust them.
The text also provides for an “extraordinary transition benefit” to assist families who previously received Auxílio Brasil, the income transfer program of the Jair Bolsonaro government.
Payments of the new Bolsa Família program began in March, with an average value of R$1,670.
Conditions:
Beneficiaries will have to fulfill the following obligations:
- Keep children aged 4 to 5 years old with a minimum school attendance of 60%.
- Maintain a minimum school attendance of 75% for young people aged 6 to 18 and for those who have not completed basic education.
- Carry out prenatal monitoring (in the case of pregnant women).
- Monitor the diet of children up to 6 years old.
- Keep vaccination records up to date for all family members.
Other points:
Parliamentarians included in the government text:
A permission for beneficiaries of the Continuous Benefit Payment (BPC) to use up to 35% of the aid amount for payroll loans, with 30% being exclusive for loans and financing, and 5% for credit card expenses.
A five-day window was established for each transaction in order to avoid “impulsive” spending and reduce the “pressure” companies place on customers. Elderly people or people with disabilities who cannot support themselves or be helped by their families are entitled to the BPC (amount equivalent to one minimum wage). The text does not authorize Bolsa Família families to take out loans with a direct discount on the benefit.
A loophole was created so that the government can disregard, when calculating the income of families wishing to receive Bolsa Família, part of the amounts obtained through BPC.
