Stalemate over joint committees may be close to an end, says Senate president

Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) said this Wednesday (22) that the impasse over the return of joint committees with the Chamber of Deputies should be resolved in the coming days. He claims that he met with Arthur Lira (PP-AL) to discuss the procedure for processing provisional measures in both houses.

Lira has stated on several occasions that he is against the return of mixed procedures in both houses, and may even change the Constitution so that the rite is not resumed.

“The Federal Constitution imposes on us the existence of joint commissions. We will exhaust all negotiation possibilities with the Chamber of Deputies. It is very important that this dialogue be exhausted, that alternatives be evaluated. I think it has to be very soon, I believe that by the end of the week we have to have this solution defined”, Pacheco told journalists.

Last week, Lira stated that the return of the joint committees, paralyzed during the Covid-19 pandemic, were “anti-democratic” with the plenary sessions of both houses, and that they impose a disproportionality in the participation of deputies and senators. According to him, the Chamber is “under-represented” in the formed, with 513 deputies represented by only 12, while the Senate is “over-represented” with 81 parliamentarians also represented by 12.

During the Senate session this Wednesday (22), Senator Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL), leader of the majority, presented a request asking for the immediate return of the functioning of the commissions for the prior analysis of the MPs.

The point of order was also signed by senators Eduardo Braga (MDB-AM), Cid Gomes (PDT-CE), Otto Alencar (PSD-BA), Izalci Lucas (PSDB-DF), Alessandro Vieira (PSDB-SE), Efraim Filho (União-PB) and Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP). The leader of the government in the Senate, Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), supported the point of order.