Brazil's lower house of parliament passes bill to limit government expenditures

A constitutional amendment bill to limit governmental expenditures in Brazil for the next 20 years was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The bill was approved 359-116 in the second voting, after being approved 366-111 in the first round of voting two weeks ago.

The house has yet to vote on six suggested changes to the text before it can send the amendment to the Senate for approval, hopefully by mid-December, when it will require a majority of three fifths to be approved.

Although congressional support for the bill is strong, the text remains a controversial issue in Brazil.

Defenders said it is necessary to prevent a fiscal collapse in Brazil and the government considers the bill as a main weapon to improve Brazil's fiscal situation.

Critics say the bill will effectively reduce investments in public education and healthcare for the next two decades in a country where the population is aging and the number of students who have access to public universities remain relatively low.

The promotion of the constitutional amendment is seen as Brazilian President Michel Temer's recent effort to restore fiscal discipline in South America's biggest economy. Endi