# Law No. 2990 of November 30, 1956

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105649769](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105649769)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-2990-of-november-30-1956

## Summary
Law No. 2990 of November 30, 1956 is a Brazilian federal statute that authorized the donation of a plot of land to the Stevedores Union and to Coal and Mineral Workers in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek, this law represents a specific legislative act from the mid-20th century that addressed labor union property rights through federal land transfer authority.

## Key Facts
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 2990/1956
- **Formal Title:** Lei nº 2990, de 30 de novembro de 1956
- **Publication Date:** November 30, 1956
- **Promulgated By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, with President Juscelino Kubitschek signing the act
- **Legal Classification:** Instance of a "statute" — a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws
- **Jurisdictional Scope:** Applies to the entire Federative Republic of Brazil, with specific implementation in Rio Grande do Sul
- **Primary Purpose:** Authorizes the donation (doação) of a plot of land (terreno) to the Sindicato dos Estivadores and workers in coal and mineral industries
- **Geographic Focus:** State of Rio Grande do Sul (Estado Do Rio Grande Do Sul (Rs))
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-11-30;2990
- **Main Subjects:** Worker (Trabalhador), Rio Grande do Sul, gift/donation, municipality, and plot of land
- **Digital Availability:** Full text accessible at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l2990.htm
- **Documentation Project:** Included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws for structured legal documentation

## FAQs
**What specific action does Law No. 2990 authorize?**  
The law authorizes the federal government to donate a specific plot of land to the Stevedores Union and to workers engaged in coal and mineral industries within Rio Grande do Sul, effectively transferring public property to private labor organizations.

**Who signed Law No. 2990 into effect?**  
President Juscelino Kubitschek promulgated the law on November 30, 1956, during his first year in office, as indicated by the official record from the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

**Where was this law published and where does it apply?**  
The law was published in Rio de Janeiro, then the federal capital, and applies jurisdictionally across Brazil, though its practical implementation is limited to the State of Rio Grande do Sul where the designated workers and unions are located.

**What type of legal instrument is this law?**  
This is a federal statute (lei), which is a formal written document that creates law and serves as the concrete manifestation of statutory law in Brazil's legal system.

**How can researchers access the original text of this law?**  
The complete text is digitally preserved and available through the official Planalto government portal at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l2990.htm, and it is cataloged with the LexML Brazil identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-11-30;2990.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 2990 of 1956 matters because it exemplifies the Brazilian federal government's direct intervention in labor relations and property rights during the formative period of President Kubitschek's administration. The statute demonstrates how the federal executive branch utilized legislative mechanisms to materially support specific labor unions—stevedores and coal/mineral workers—by transferring land ownership, which would have provided these organizations with permanent operational bases and assets. This approach reflects the era's political climate where the state actively shaped labor movement infrastructure through concrete resource allocation rather than mere regulatory oversight. As a documented federal statute, it contributes to the historical record of land donation as a policy tool in Brazilian labor law, a relatively uncommon legislative category compared to regulatory or taxation statutes. Its inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws and the LexML digital repository ensures that this specific act remains accessible for legal historians studying the evolution of union rights, property law, and federal-state-labor dynamics in mid-20th century Brazil. The law's narrow geographic focus on Rio Grande do Sul also highlights how federal legislation could target regional labor economies, particularly in strategic sectors like port operations and mineral extraction that were vital to Brazil's industrialization goals during the 1950s.

## Notable For
- **Specific Beneficiaries:** Targets two distinct labor groups—stevedores and coal/mineral workers—within a single state, representing a highly targeted rather than nationwide policy approach.
- **Land Transfer Mechanism:** Employs donation (doação) as the legal method, which is less common in federal statutes compared to taxation, regulation, or criminal law provisions.
- **Kubitschek Era Origin:** Dates from the first year of President Juscelino Kubitschek's presidency, a period known for ambitious development projects and state-led economic planning.
- **Digital Preservation:** Maintained in the LexML Brazil system with a persistent identifier (urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-11-30;2990), ensuring long-term digital accessibility.
- **Municipal Involvement:** References municipality (Municipio) in its subject terms, suggesting local government coordination in the land transfer process.
- **Labor Union Empowerment:** Directly addresses property acquisition for unions, indicating federal support for organized labor infrastructure beyond collective bargaining rights.
- **Regional Economic Focus:** Concentrates on Rio Grande do Sul, a state with significant port facilities and mineral resources, aligning the law with regional economic priorities.

## Body

### Legal Classification and Identity
Law No. 2990 of November 30, 1956 is formally classified as a statute within Brazil's legal taxonomy. As a statute, it constitutes a formal written document that creates law, serving as the concrete manifestation of statutory law in the Brazilian federal system. The law carries the official citation "Lei nº 2990/1956" and is registered in the LexML Brazil system with the persistent identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-11-30;2990. This digital identifier places it within the broader context of Brazilian federal legislation from the 1950-1969 period, a classification that aids legal researchers in locating and referencing the document. The statute is composed in Brazilian Portuguese and was published in Rio de Janeiro, which served as Brazil's federal capital until the inauguration of Brasília in 1960. Its creation follows the standard legislative process where draft laws are transformed into binding statutes through presidential promulgation.

### Content and Legislative Purpose
The substantive content of Law No. 2990 centers on a single authorization: the donation of a plot of land to the Stevedores Union and to workers in the coal and mineral sectors within Rio Grande do Sul. The law's digest explicitly states "AUTORIZA A DOAÇÃO DE UM TERRENO AO SINDICATO DOS ESTIVADORES E AOS TRABALHADORES EM CARVÃO E MINERAL, NO ESTADO DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL." This language indicates that the federal government granted itself permission to transfer public property to private labor organizations. The main subjects identified in the law's metadata include "worker" (Trabalhador), "Rio Grande do Sul" (Estado Do Rio Grande Do Sul (Rs)), "gift" (Doação), "municipality" (Municipio), and "plot of land" (Terreno). The inclusion of municipality as a subject suggests that the implementation may have required coordination with local municipal authorities where the land was physically located. The law addresses two specific categories of workers—stevedores (port workers) and coal/mineral workers—indicating a targeted approach to supporting labor groups in strategic economic sectors.

### Promulgation and Historical Context
President Juscelino Kubitschek promulgated Law No. 2990 on November 30, 1956, during his first year as president of the Federative Republic of Brazil. This timing places the law within the early phase of Kubitschek's administration, which ran from 1956 to 1961 and was characterized by the ambitious "Target Plan" (Plano de Metas) for national development. The promulgation date is recorded with precision, including the determination method as "promulgation" and the specific point in time. The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, which serves as the executive authority responsible for transforming legislative proposals into binding statutes. This particular law represents one of many statutory acts from the 1950s that shaped Brazil's legal landscape during its rapid industrialization period.

### Geographic and Jurisdictional Application
While Law No. 2990 applies jurisdictionally to the entire Federative Republic of Brazil as a federal statute, its practical effects are concentrated in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The law explicitly names Rio Grande do Sul as the location for the authorized land donation, making it the primary geographic beneficiary. Rio Grande do Sul, located in southern Brazil, is one of the country's 26 states and shares borders with Uruguay and Argentina. The state's economy during the 1950s included significant port operations along its Atlantic coastline and coal mining activities in its interior regions, which explains the selection of stevedores and coal/mineral workers as beneficiaries. The law's federal nature means it creates binding obligations across all Brazilian territory, though only the specified unions in Rio Grande do Sul could claim the authorized donation.

### Digital Accessibility and Modern Documentation
Law No. 2990 benefits from contemporary digital preservation efforts through multiple platforms. The full text is available at the official URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l2990.htm, hosted by the Planalto government portal. This digital availability ensures that researchers, legal practitioners, and citizens can access the original 1956 text without physical archive visits. The law is also cataloged in the LexML Brazil system, a specialized legal metadata framework that assigns persistent identifiers to Brazilian legislation. Its LexML ID urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-11-30;2990 follows the URN:LEX standard, which provides a stable, technology-independent reference. Additionally, the statute is included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a Wikimedia initiative focused on documenting and structuring information about Brazilian legal instruments. This project assignment indicates that the law has been identified as significant enough for structured data collection and cross-referencing within the Wikimedia ecosystem.

### Labor and Property Law Implications
The statute operates at the intersection of labor law and property law by authorizing a land transfer specifically for union benefit. Unlike general labor laws that regulate wages, hours, or collective bargaining rights, Law No. 2990 provides a tangible asset—real property—to designated worker organizations. This approach reflects a conception of union support that extends beyond regulatory protections to direct material endowment. The donation mechanism suggests the land was likely federal property, possibly surplus or strategically located near ports or mining operations, that could serve as union headquarters, meeting spaces, or operational facilities. The law's focus on stevedores acknowledges the critical role of port workers in Brazil's import-export economy, while the inclusion of coal and mineral workers recognizes the energy and raw materials sectors' importance to national development during the 1950s industrialization drive.

### Relationship to Broader Legal Framework
As a federal statute, Law No. 2990 exists within Brazil's hierarchical legal system, where federal laws supersede state and municipal legislation but must conform to constitutional provisions. The 1956 law was enacted under the 1946 Constitution of Brazil, which was in effect from 1946 to 1964 and established a period of democratic governance. The statute's authorization of property donation to private organizations would have required compliance with constitutional provisions regarding public property, administrative law, and potentially the legal status of labor unions. The law predates Brazil's current 1988 Constitution but remains part of the historical legal record that informs contemporary understanding of labor-state relations. Its existence demonstrates that even during periods of rapid economic development, the federal government engaged in specific, targeted legislative acts to shape the institutional infrastructure of organized labor.

### Metadata and Authority Control
Law No. 2990 is documented through multiple authority control systems that facilitate legal research and citation. The legal citation "Lei nº 2990/1956" provides a short-form reference used in Brazilian legal practice. The LexML Brazil identifier offers a machine-readable, persistent link that resists link rot and technological changes. The law's inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws connects it to broader efforts to create structured, multilingual documentation of Brazilian legislation within Wikimedia platforms. The metadata reveals that the law's description and subjects were extracted from the official text hosted on the LexML portal, ensuring accuracy in classification. The statute's language is identified as Brazilian Portuguese, distinguishing it from European Portuguese variants and acknowledging the linguistic particularities of Brazilian legal terminology. These documentation efforts collectively preserve the law's content, context, and accessibility for future generations of researchers examining Brazil's labor history, property law evolution, or the Kubitschek administration's legislative priorities.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1956-11-30;2990)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=2990&ano=1956&data=30/11/1956&ato=accETWU90dNRVT2e5)
3. LexML Brasil