Alesp has a billionaire budget, stewardship and job hanger – 03/13/2023 – Power

Owner of a budget of almost R$ 1.5 billion, Alesp (Legislative Assembly of São Paulo) begins the new legislature this Wednesday (15) with the preservation of perks, job hangers and a forecast of increased spending on communication .

State deputies, who are already entitled to housing, car and office expenses of up to R$ 43.7 thousand per month, started the year with a 16% increase in this item —subsidies went from R$ 25.3 thousand to R$ 29.5 thousand.

They will work in a structure that involves 3,300 servants, most of whom are political appointees.

To give you an idea, the first secretary alone, currently occupied by the PT, has 80 positions, of which only 8 are non-commissioned. In number of servers, the coveted sector is only surpassed by the military police assistance of the Assembly, with 100 vacancies.

The House, which approved João Doria’s law to extinguish entire state-owned companies and even the Zoological Foundation, is the same that maintains an entire sector whose usefulness is questioned even by the deputies. This is the NAE (Strategic Evaluation Nucleus), created in 2015 by the then president Fernando Capez (União Brasil, at the time toucan), with the objective of evaluating the Executive Branch.

The department is the fifth with the most employees, a total of 50, whose salaries can exceed R$ 26,000. Appointments are all made on the recommendation of the Board of Directors – many are former advisors to parliamentarians.

With a specific physical structure for the nucleus that is too small for so many people, the sector has already had records of the dismissal of ghost employees and even reports of “cracks”, the practice of returning part of salaries to deputies.

Alesp argues that the physical space is sufficient, since members of the group also provide external services. The House, however, did not provide any data on such external services or productivity data from this core to the report.

Deputy Janaína Paschoal and three other parliamentarians even proposed the extinction of the department in 2019. In the arguments of the proposal made by her, the monthly cost at the time of R$ 850 thousand, the existence of a room of only ten meters and lack of computers, in addition to ineffective actions.

In another proposal, the parliamentarian also wanted to end the positions of second, third and fourth vice presidents, in addition to third and fourth secretaries. None of the proposals advanced. “I understood and understand that it would be possible to do this downsizing,” she said.

The lack of control over where the commissioners are still allows them to be diverted to political and private activities. In 2019, for example, the Sheet showed how PRB servants, today Republicans, developed party activities and even in a religious entity during office hours.

In addition to high wages, employees at Alesp also have a series of benefits that exceed the standards of public servants in São Paulo, such as food allowance of R$ 757, meal vouchers of R$ 62, health assistance and bonuses for performance that can exceed BRL 6,000.

Deputies, on the other hand, are entitled to a cabinet structure that, in some cases, can exceed 25 advisors, not to mention the amount dedicated to property rental, accommodation, food, cars, fuel and office supplies, among others.

Between 2019 and 2022, parliamentarians spent more than BRL 83 million on office expenses. Most of the expenses took place in 2022, in the middle of an election year, when deputies registered BRL 25 million in expenses of this type.

The office’s biggest expenses are with real estate leasing, graphic services and vehicle rental.

In the analyzed period, according to data from Alesp compiled by the report, the deputy with the highest expenditure on cabinet funds was Vinícius Camarinha (PSDB), reaching R$ 1.5 million until December.

Sought, the parliamentarian’s office stated that expenses are lower than allowed and that the increase in expenses in the last two years was due to extra work as leader of the toucan government of João Doria / Rodrigo Garcia. Another justification is the congressman’s electoral base, in Marília, 450 km from the capital of São Paulo.

With no office expenses, Ricardo Mellão (Novo) is at the other extreme. “I would say to you that I was even a little exaggerated, because there are mandate expenses that are necessary, especially if the deputy is from the interior. But the average expense is very excessive”, he says.

Alesp, in a note sent to the report, argues that deputies spent last year practically half of what they would be entitled to and that expenses are monitored based on the rendering of accounts.

Mellão, who closely monitors the House’s expenses, also points out items that call attention in the budget for this year. One of them is the budget for studies to subsidize political activities – it went from R$ 2 million spent, in 2022, to a forecast of R$ 24 million this year.

Alesp told the Sheet that it is not possible to say that the foreseen resource will be effectively used. According to the House, with the funds for studies, courses, lectures and seminars are scheduled by the ILP (Instituto Legislativo Paulista), among other activities.

There is also a forecast for an increase with the budget for publicizing the legislative work, which includes TV Alesp. The estimated value this year, of R$ 42 million, one of the biggest expenses of the House, is almost double what was spent last year, of R$ 24 million.

Spending is aimed at varied services such as content production to transmission tower and subtitles. An important part of the transfers goes to Fundac (Foundation for the Development of Arts and Communication), responsible for TV Alesp for over a decade.

Asked about the increase in disclosure, the Assembly justifies itself by saying that the predicted value should not be achieved.

“Alesp’s estimate is to use only 75% of the estimated value this year. This is due to policies to save public resources, with tenders and contracting of services always at the lowest price.”

But in practice, spending should increase this year. Currently, publicity budget commitments are already at R$ 30 million.

Institutional advertising is another expense with an upward trend, with an updated estimate of R$ 18 million.

In the House’s list of contracts, there is still a myriad of minor expenses, ranging from the making of oil portraits of presidents (in the range of R$ 7,000) to the annual contract for snacks and meals for deputies —according to parliamentarians heard, Alesp serves a buffet when there are sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The total value of this contract is R$ 4 million.