Humanitarian And Educational Reform Act of 2021 - Costavela

Rationale

These changes strengthen community resilience, protect children, and safeguard national interests through stricter asylum, education, land, training, and environmental policies.

Proposed Changes

	Law	Previous	Proposed
1	Asylum & Refugees	Meet international obligations only	Generous resettlement and support
2	Homeschooling Regulation	Homeschooling allowed with curriculum standards, testing, and inspections	Homeschooling prohibited; all children must attend licensed schools
3	Foreign Land Ownership	Foreign ownership limited to commercial property only; residential banned	Foreign purchases require government approval
4	School Leaving Age	Compulsory to 16	Compulsory education/training to 18
5	Single-Use Plastics	Voluntary industry targets	Ban single-use plastics outright

1

Asylum & Refugees

Previous law

Meet international obligations only

Generous resettlement and support

2

Homeschooling Regulation

Previous law

Homeschooling allowed with curriculum standards, testing, and inspections

Homeschooling prohibited; all children must attend licensed schools

3

Foreign Land Ownership

Previous law

Foreign ownership limited to commercial property only; residential banned

Foreign purchases require government approval

4

School Leaving Age

Previous law

Compulsory to 16

Compulsory education/training to 18

5

Single-Use Plastics

Previous law

Voluntary industry targets

Ban single-use plastics outright

Timeline

Draft

1 August 2021
Vote Open

1 August 2021
Vote Closed

30 September 2021
Became Law

30 September 2021

Vote tally

Live tally across each chamber. Weighted by seats held.

Senado

Passed

184Yes 82No 0Not voted 266 seats

For: 184 / 266 seats (69.2%)

Against: 82 · Abstained: 0 · Not voted: 0

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 69.2%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Liberal Union Proposer	131	Yes	No reason given
Middle Alliance	53	Yes	Good for education, good for the environment.Good for the country as a whole.I don't see any reason to vote against this
National Democratic Movement	0	No	The NDM opposes this act. Banning single-use plastics imposes unnecessary eco-mandates that harm our economic growth. Opening residential property to foreign acquisitions undermines national interests. We prioritize economic freedom, national sovereignty, and security over restrictive regulations.
Revolutionary Socialist Union	82	No	Banning homeschooling? That doesn't make sense. It's fine that it's better for them to study in public or private schools, but if their mother is also a teacher, that doesn't prevent her from also educating her children. Education doesn't only happen in school; it happens everywhere. I also don't see any solid arguments in Article 4. We will have to reject this proposal in its entirety
Empty seats	54	Not voted

Congress of Deputies

Passed

202Yes 148No 0Not voted 350 seats

For: 202 / 350 seats (57.7%)

Against: 148 · Abstained: 0 · Not voted: 0

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 57.7%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Liberal Union Proposer	165	Yes	No reason given
Middle Alliance	37	Yes	Good for education, good for the environment.Good for the country as a whole.I don't see any reason to vote against this
National Democratic Movement	0	No	The NDM opposes this act. Banning single-use plastics imposes unnecessary eco-mandates that harm our economic growth. Opening residential property to foreign acquisitions undermines national interests. We prioritize economic freedom, national sovereignty, and security over restrictive regulations.
Revolutionary Socialist Union	148	No	Banning homeschooling? That doesn't make sense. It's fine that it's better for them to study in public or private schools, but if their mother is also a teacher, that doesn't prevent her from also educating her children. Education doesn't only happen in school; it happens everywhere. I also don't see any solid arguments in Article 4. We will have to reject this proposal in its entirety
Empty seats	80	Not voted

Voting record

Every vote must state a public reason. Most recent first.

National Democratic Movement

Voted Aug. 31, 2021

No

“The NDM opposes this act. Banning single-use plastics imposes unnecessary eco-mandates that harm our economic growth. Opening residential property to foreign acquisitions undermines national interests. We prioritize economic freedom, national sovereignty, and security over restrictive regulations.”

Revolutionary Socialist Union

Voted Aug. 8, 2021

No

“Banning homeschooling? That doesn't make sense. It's fine that it's better for them to study in public or private schools, but if their mother is also a teacher, that doesn't prevent her from also educating her children. Education doesn't only happen in school; it happens everywhere. I also don't see any solid arguments in Article 4. We will have to reject this proposal in its entirety”

Middle Alliance

Voted Aug. 2, 2021

Yes

“Good for education, good for the environment.Good for the country as a whole.I don't see any reason to vote against this”