Last Thursday, several deputies expressed their disagreement with the reopening of the discussion that had been closed regarding Bill 163, a situation that occurred in duplicate. The bill, which had been approved in the first debate by the Labor and Health Commission, originally contained 203 articles for the second debate. However, the number of articles increased to 334 due to proposed amendments, and it is expected that this number will reach about 370 with the new proposals that began to be discussed.
In a session of the National Assembly held on Thursday, March 6, at 11 in the morning and which started at 9:23 in the evening, Deputy Ariana Coba presented a proposal to challenge the closure of the discussion of Bill 163 in the second debate. The proposal aimed to keep the discussion open to allow for the withdrawal and presentation of essential initiatives for the viability and implementation of the law. This proposal was accepted and approved following an appeal and a vote with 43 votes in favor, 12 abstentions, and 8 votes against.
One of the points of contention that has arisen during the debate is the inclusion of an actuarial evaluation of the old-age retirement pension after the sixth year, with the aim of ensuring the viability of the system. Additionally, the powers that would be granted to the director of the CSS for contracting entities responsible for conducting audits have been debated, raising concerns about the transparency of the process.
The CSS issued a statement clarifying that the proposed reforms do not involve an increase in the retirement age for any labor sector in the country and that the self-financing early retirement plan will not be modified, which has been well received by the workers.
To continue the discussion, the Plenary has been summoned for Friday at 10 in the morning, where the proposals aimed at reforming the Social Security Fund and the Invalidity, Old Age, and Death program will continue to be read.
