The Chamber of Deputies and the Legislative Assembly will only vote on the budgets in 2014.

Alagoas247 - In the junior parliament, the vote on the budget was delayed once again due to discussions revolving around the calculation basis for the monthly allocation. Meanwhile, in the Legislative Assembly – the scene of an investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Alagoas – allegations of irregularities and the non-payment of public employees resulted in delays in the consideration of the state budget, as well as other matters being processed under urgent procedure. As a measure to pressure the members of the Board of Directors, the employees locked the doors of the plenary hall with chains and padlocks.

In the context of the Maceió City Council, the Executive leader, councilman Eduardo Canuto (PV), explains that the last remaining issues preventing the budget vote will be resolved by the end of January. Following the council members' overturning of the veto that rejected the adjustment of the City Council's monthly allocation, Canuto assures that the relationship between the Executive branch and the council has not been damaged. According to him, the adjustment in the allocation is necessary to correct for inflation distortions.

"Without any problems, we approved the PPA [Multi-Year Plan 2014-2017] and I believe that by January 27th at the latest, we will definitively vote on the 2014 budget. Besides some pending issues from 2013, such as the public hearing on the PPA, the consideration of the budget proposal may be slightly delayed. However, what happened this year will not be repeated next year," assured the mayor's leader. At the beginning of the year, the council members took five months to consider the municipal budget. Only at the beginning of May was the matter finally considered by the council members.

The 2014 budget, submitted by the City Hall, allocates more resources to the areas of health, education, infrastructure, and social assistance. In health alone, more than R$ 615 million will be spent, approximately 30% more than the amount allocated in 2013. The total budget is around R$ 2,033 billion. According to the Annual Budget Law Project (PLOA), education is another area that should receive an increase. The 2013 amount, which was R$ 314.721.310, will increase to R$ 343.665.460 – an increase of more than 9%. The proposal indicates that the infrastructure area will receive an increase of more than 50%. The more than R$ 111 million will rise to R$ 168.029.908. The budget forecast for social assistance is R$ 41.207.217.

Due to the strike by ALE (Legislative Assembly of Alagoas) employees, important matters such as the state budget for 2014, authorization for the state to take out a loan, and the allocation of Fundeb resources – for the payment of state teachers – cannot be considered by the deputies.

With the conclusion of Operation Standard by the Military Police, other matters must be processed under an expedited procedure, such as salary realignment, the Promotions Law, and the project known as "Legal Side Job," which also need to be voted on in the Alagoas parliament.

It is expected that only with the supplementary credit of approximately R$ 10 million, which should be sent by the Executive Branch – resources that would serve to pay personnel – will the employees return to work and, with that, the doors will be reopened. Adding up the adjusted monthly installments of the Legislative Assembly over the last five years, the House of Tavares Bastos has received more than R$ 624 million. For 2014, the Board of Directors of the parliament already thanks the Executive Branch for its attention, as it will have R$ 151.365.500 available for personnel payments and maintenance of the House. The State forecasts revenue in 2014 of approximately R$ 8.307.204.125, an increase of 16,14% compared to the 2013 budget.

NEGOTIATION

Last Friday (27), the members of the Acting Board of Directors had a meeting with Governor Teotonio Vilela Filho to request supplementary credit. The Executive consulted the Justice Department, which denied authorization for the transfer of funds. The employees filed an appeal.

The 3rd Secretary of the Board, Deputy Ronaldo Medeiros, described the Executive's stance of not showing interest in resolving the crisis as strange. "For the past seven years, the governor has always met the needs of the former Board. This is all very strange. We wanted a solution, but it seems that it will not be possible. It's absurd," criticized the deputy.

The state government blames the Public Prosecutor's Office of Alagoas for the delay in voting on the projects. The Secretary of the Civil Cabinet, Álvaro Machado, explained that the Executive branch cannot send any additional funds because the Legislative Assembly has exceeded the Fiscal Responsibility Law regarding personnel expenses. According to Machado, this is the main obstacle to sending the credit, as the Executive branch is complying with a court order and a recommendation from the Public Prosecutor's Office.

With gazetaweb.com