Congress returns after two weeks without plenary sessions with a Plenary particularly focused on the housing access crisis. PP, PSOE, and Sumar defend initiatives in which they define their priorities in a week that will conclude with the demonstration called by tenant unions in Madrid, in a climate of indignation over the escalation of prices and the lack of political agreements.
The latest milestone in this regard was the repeal of the decree-law that set the automatic extension of contracts and caps on rent increases this year and next. PP, Vox, and Junts voted against it.
Sumar promotes the approval of another decree-law to rescue the measures, and offers tax incentives to Junts, while the Ministry of Housing wants to channel an agreement with these measures into the bill that regulates seasonal and room rentals, which is blocked in Congress.
What measures will the Plenary debate?
The PP brings to debate an organic bill with measures to speed up evictions in cases of illegal occupation of housing, toughen the penalties provided for in the Penal Code, and expedite water, electricity, and gas disconnections. It is their first vote in the Chamber, to decide whether or not to take it into consideration.
In the case of PSOE and Sumar, the parties that make up the coalition government defend separate non-legislative proposals, initiatives that, as their name indicates, have no legislative value. They serve to open a debate and establish positions with the vote.
The proposal from the Socialist Group submits for a vote the main lines of the State Housing Plan promoted by the department headed by Isabel Rodríguez, which this week foresees a meeting with the autonomous communities for the distribution of funds.
The resources are conditioned on the permanent protection of housing financed under the plan and guarantees are foreseen to prevent arbitrary awards by administrations, as has happened recently in some municipalities, such as Alicante. These measures are points of the initiative.
Finally, Sumar proposes to the Chamber to veto the purchase of properties by companies and vulture funds and to repeal the tax advantages of SOCIMIs (listed public limited companies for real estate investment).
This group already brought to the Plenary a bill that last November was rejected by PP, Vox, and Junts. It also did not obtain the support of its government partner: the PSOE opted to abstain. Yolanda Díaz's party is promoting the proposal again to, among other issues, try to expose Vox. Santiago Abascal's party endorsed a similar measure promoted in the United States by the Trump Administration, but did not support it in Congress.