Senate votes down ordinance on phased increase in child allowances

At a plenary sitting on Tuesday, the Senate voted down, as the first notified chamber, government's emergency ordinance on a phased increase in child allowances.

The report of admission of the bill rejecting Emergency Ordinance 123/2020 amending Article 3 in Law 61/1993 on public allowance for children garnered 87 votes for, 29 against and 12 abstentions.

According to the report of the Labour Committee, the ordinance is designed to amend Article 3 of Law 61/1993 on public allowances for children, in the sense of gradually increasing the amount of the allowances from August 1, 2020 - an increase by 20% of the difference between the amount provided by Law 14/2020 and the amount of the allowances paid on the date of transmission of the bill, and by the same percentage for the period 2021-2022 twice a year: on January 1 and July 1 of each year; from 2023 the increase is expected to continue in the child allowances by the average annual inflation rate.

"The application of this ordinance does not mean an increase by 20% of the amounts, but cutting with the stroke of a pen 80% of the allowances due to children, according to the law. (...). Allocate the necessary funds or else leave you and all your incompetents and cronies and leave the fate of the country in the hands of a government that cares!" Chairman of the Senate Labour Committee Ion Rotaru of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) told Parliament.

The ordinance will further be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case.