How the Knesset Votes
English

Government bill · 18th Knesset · published as law 28 March 2011

חוק התקציב לשנות הכספים 2011 ו-2012, התשע"א-2010Budget Law for the Financial Years 2011 and 2012, 2010 · automatic translation · suggest a correction

Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית

Topics: State budget* · * from the Knesset's official law classification

Readings

What was said in the plenum

The debate dealt with the approval of the Budget Law for 2011 and 2012 in second and third reading, including the accompanying Arrangements Law, in which the government presented it as a balanced budget that encourages growth, education and higher education, while opposition members attacked it as harming the middle class and the weak and neglecting areas such as health, civil defense and firefighting. A significant part of the debate also dealt with claims regarding hidden coalition agreements that ensured support for the budget in exchange for budgets for local authorities and various factions, and with procedural issues regarding the way the votes were managed.

automatic translation · suggest a correction

Hebrew original

הדיון עסק באישור חוק התקציב לשנים 2011 ו-2012 בקריאה שנייה ושלישית, כולל חוק ההסדרים הנלווה, כאשר הממשלה הציגה אותו כתקציב מאוזן המעודד צמיחה וחינוך והשכלה גבוהה, ואילו חברי אופוזיציה תקפו אותו כפוגע במעמד הביניים ובחלשים ומזניח תחומים כמו בריאות, מיגון אזרחי וכבאות. חלק ניכר מהדיון עסק גם בטענות בדבר הסכמים קואליציוניים נסתרים שהבטיחו תמיכה בתקציב תמורת תקציבים לרשויות מקומיות ולסיעות שונות, ובסוגיות פרוצדורליות הנוגעות לאופן ניהול ההצבעות.

Arguments for

  • The budget succeeds in dealing with the global economic crisis, has led to high growth, a decrease in unemployment, and the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
    Yuval Steinitz (Likud)
  • The budget benefits weak citizens, the elderly, working mothers and low-wage workers through negative income tax, an increase for day care centers, and increases to benefits.
    Yuval Steinitz (Likud)
  • The budget invests in education, higher education, the periphery and transportation infrastructure as long-term growth engines.
    Yuval Steinitz (Likud)
  • The budget and the Arrangements Law are the product of substantive and balanced work that included compromises and balances between the coalition and the opposition and with the Ministry of Finance.
    Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism)
  • The clause concerning the National Insurance ceiling constitutes a benefit for the public and should therefore be supported.
    Zeev Elkin (Likud)

Arguments against

  • The budget harms the middle class and weaker populations through price increases on basic products, municipal taxes, fuel and water, contrary to the government's declarations.
    Nino Abesadze (Kadima)
  • The health budget does not include sufficient funding for the announced reforms (mental health, dental health), for additional beds and doctors, and even harms the medicine basket in order to fund other coalition commitments.
    Rachel Adatto (Kadima)
  • The budget does not include sufficient funding for emergency preparedness and civil defense (CBRN masks, earthquakes) and firefighting, despite known risks and prior commitments.
    Arieh Eldad (National Union), Yohanan Plesner (Kadima), Meir Sheetrit (Kadima)
  • The budget and the Arrangements Law are being passed through a flawed process, including non-transparent coalition agreements with factions and Knesset members in exchange for support in the vote, and procedural flaws in transferring clauses between committees.
    Ronnie Bar-On (Kadima), Chaim Oron (Meretz), Yoel Hasson (Kadima), Yohanan Plesner (Kadima), Eliyahu Yishai (Shas), Dov Khenin (Hadash)
  • The government neglects the population of illegal immigrants and the residents of neighborhoods affected by them, and does not properly budget welfare, education and health for them or for the long-standing residents who are affected.
    Michael Ben Ari (National Union)
Who spoke (20)
MemberFactionReadingsSpeechesIn the final vote
Nino AbesadzeKadima oppositionThird reading1against
Arieh EldadNational Union oppositionThird reading7against
Michael Ben AriNational Union oppositionThird reading2no record
Rachel AdattoKadima oppositionThird reading4against
Ronnie Bar-OnKadima oppositionThird reading14against
Yuval SteinitzLikud coalitionThird reading14for
Moshe GafniUnited Torah Judaism coalitionThird reading8for
Chaim OronMeretz oppositionThird reading2against
Zeev ElkinLikud coalitionThird reading1for
Yoel HassonKadima oppositionThird reading4against
David RotemYisrael Beytenu coalitionThird reading2for
Yohanan PlesnerKadima oppositionThird reading10against
Eliyahu YishaiShas coalitionThird reading3for
Mohammad BarakehHadash oppositionThird reading2against
Ronit TiroshKadima oppositionThird reading1no record
Gideon Sa'arLikud coalitionThird reading2no record
Dov KheninHadash oppositionThird reading3against
Meir SheetritKadima oppositionThird reading4against
Orit ZuaretzKadima oppositionThird reading1against
Reuven RivlinLikud coalitionThird reading2for

An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcript of the sitting: 1

Reservations, sections and other votes (172)

In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.

Source: bill page in the Knesset legislation database ↗

Budget Law for the Financial Years 2011 and 2012, 2010 · How the Knesset Votes