In last week of work, Brazil lower house talks lobby and traffic deaths

After failing to approve the country's pension reform in 2017, the Brazilian lower house brings its legislative year to a close this week. On the agenda for vote are bills on lobbying and a measure aimed at reducing the number of deaths from traffic accidents.

Brazil's parliamentary recess is officially slated to begin this Saturday (Dec. 23) and last until February. This week, the agenda focuses on votes on Monday (18) and Tuesday (19). Wednesday will be devoted to deliberations on international deals.

Sittings were called for debates and tributes, and committees are to hold public hearings for the discussion of less controversial bills.

The changes proposed to the legislation on health insurance have not been brought back to the agenda. Likewise, the special committee on the constitutional amendment considering life inviolable since conception also refrained from calling a meeting to conclude the vote on the matter, after a series of attempts.

Lobbying

One of the bills on the agenda at the lower house sets forth the rules on lobbying and the work of pressure groups as well as groups linked to federal agencies. The piece of legislation stipulates that the members of these groups are to be registered. Those previously charged with corruption, influence peddling or misconduct are not to be allowed to work as lobbyist under the new law.

The legislation also regards receiving gifts and advantages from public officials as misconduct, with offenders having to return funds to public coffers and pay a fine.

Deaths in traffic

A plenary session Monday (18) may end deliberations on the bill introducing the National Plan for the Reduction of Deaths and Injuries in Traffic.

Amendments to the bill are also pending vote in the Senate. The piece of legislation aims to halve the number of deaths in traffic accidents countrywide in ten years. Among the measures is penalizing states that fail to meet the target.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira