Senate to debate Budget, 'per saltum' bills

The Upper House of Congress will debate the Budget 2013 and "per saltum" bills in an intense session that is expected to last several hours.

The debate will begin at 11:30am and lawmakers will pay homage during the first minute to the victims of the Cooperativa Obrera de Neuquén supermarket which collapsed on Thursday night.

The pro-government bloc will try to preliminary approve the per saltum bill and pass it to the Lower House for its complete approval, and to approve and turn into law the Budget 2013.

The first bill is aimed at regulating the so-called “per saltum,” an extraordinary appeal to let the Supreme Court decide on “serious institutional cases” which require a “swift, definite solution” without going through lower courts first.

The Kirchnerite caucus said on October 17 that the initiative, which was signed by Senators Pichetto, Fernández and Marcelo Fuentes (Neuquén), is meant to force the high court to take the issue of the Media Law into their own hands.

Meanwhile, the Budget bill estimates an economic growth of 4.4 percent for 2013, an annual inflation of 10.8 percent and sets the official dollar in AR$5.10. The surplus is expected to reach 55 billion pesos.