Senate approves MP from Minha Casa, Minha Vida

Senators approved this Tuesday (13) a bill to convert Provisional Measure 1,162/2023, which recreates the Minha Casa, Minha Vida housing program. The text goes to presidential sanction. Approval takes place on the eve of the MP losing its validity, which would occur this Wednesday (14). The program will serve families with a monthly income of up to R$8,000 in urban areas, and up to R$96,000 a year in rural areas. The text had already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies on June 7, but with changes. One of them is permission to use resources from the Severance Indemnity Fund (FGTS) for public lighting, basic sanitation, public roads and rainwater drainage projects. There is a forecast to apply at least 5% of the program’s resources to finance the resumption of stopped works, renovation or requalification of unused properties and construction of housing in cities with up to 50 thousand inhabitants. Another change is the 50% discount on the energy bill of those who are enrolled in the CadÚnico, the register of government social programs. Plenary and virtual session that voted on the provisional measure (MP 1.162/2023) that resumes the Minha Casa, Minha Vida housing program. Photo: Lula Marques/ Agência Brasil End of Caixa’s exclusivity The approved project removes Caixa Econômica Federal’s exclusivity as operator of Minha Casa, Minha Vida. With the change, private banks, digital banks and credit unions will be able to operate in the program, as long as they provide information about transfers to the Ministry of Cities with identification of the credit recipient. Minha Casa, Minha Vida was created in 2009. In 2020, it was extinguished by the government of Jair Bolsonaro and replaced by Casa Verde e Amarela. Middle class This Tuesday (13), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended expanding the program to serve other income brackets, in particular, the middle class. “We need to do not just Minha Casa, Minha Vida for the poorest people. We need to make Minha Casa, Minha Vida for the middle class”, said Lula during the opening of the weekly chat Conversa with the President, alongside journalist Marcos Uchôa. “The guy who earns R$ 10,000, R$ 12,000, R$ 8 thousand this guy also wants to have a house and this guy wants to have a better house”, he said. “So we’re going to have to think about all segments of society for us to make people feel contemplated by the government”, assured the president. *With information from the Senate and Chamber agencies

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