House Speaker Lira tries (and fails) to push through ‘impunity bill’

Newly elected House Speaker Arthur Lira suffered his first legislative defeat last week. Members of the lower house failed to reach an agreement to vote on a constitutional amendment that would shield federal lawmakers from arrest and other criminal consequences. Despite promising to respect congressional rules, Mr. Lira tried to go over lawmakers’ heads and force a floor vote on the controversial proposal. 

Under normal circumstances, constitutional amendment bills must be analyzed by a special committee before going to a floor vote. Mr. Lira hoped to skip this step and take it straight to a final vote, but failed after party leaders could not reach an agreement to fast-track the bill.

In light of Mr. Lira’s attempted workaround, civil society must put pressure on lawmakers to block the bill’s progress and prioritize pandemic-related legislation.

Disparagingly referred to by the media as the “impunity bill,” the proposal would enact a series of changes to strengthen the parliamentary immunity enjoyed by federal lawmakers. One of the main tweaks would establish that Congress holds sole responsibility to punish lawmakers for expressing their opinions, when applicable. Mr. Lira’s attempt...