# Law No. 3297 of October 30, 1957

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648663](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648663)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3297-of-october-30-1957

## Summary

Law No. 3297 of October 30, 1957 is a Brazilian federal statute promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek that addresses supplementary credit, judiciary matters, and government budget allocations. Enacted in Rio de Janeiro during Brazil's developmentalist period, this law represents a formal legislative act that creates binding legal norms within Brazil's federal system. The full text remains publicly accessible through the official LexML digital repository and Planalto portal, classified under WikiProject Brazilian Laws for documentation.

## Key Facts

- **Full Title**: Lei nº 3297, de 30 de outubro de 1957
- **Legal Citation**: Lei nº 3297/1957
- **Promulgation Date**: October 30, 1957
- **Approving Authority**: Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **President at Promulgation**: Juscelino Kubitschek (served 1956-1961)
- **Determination Method**: Promulgation
- **Legal Classification**: Instance of a statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **Main Subjects**: Supplementary Credit (Credito Suplementar), Judiciary (Judiciario), and Government Budget (Verba Um)
- **Jurisdiction**: Applies exclusively to Brazil
- **Place of Publication**: Rio de Janeiro
- **Language**: Brazilian Portuguese
- **LexML Brazil ID**: urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-10-30;3297
- **Official URL**: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3297.htm
- **Wikimedia Project**: Included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws focus list
- **Copyright Status**: As a statute, it is in the public domain in the United States under the edict of government doctrine and similarly in France
- **Statute Definition**: A formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws
- **Statute Classification**: Subclass of written work, document, and rule; instance of legal term or legal concept
- **Statute Function**: Manifestation of statutory law containing legal norms as constituent parts
- **Statute Creation**: Preceded by draft laws and caused by legislation or legal act
- **Statute Effect**: Results in statutory law
- **Global Standard**: Equivalent class to https://schema.org/Legislation
- **Library Classification**: Dewey Decimal 342.057 and 348.02
- **Authority Control**: Library of Congress Authority ID sh85127611; GND ID 4020660-9; Bibliothèque nationale de France ID 120485802
- **Brazilian Context**: Enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek, a period marked by the "50 years in 5" development program and construction of Brasília
- **Historical Period**: Brazil was a federal republic under the 1946 Constitution, preceding the 1964-1985 military rule period

## FAQs

**What is Law No. 3297 of October 30, 1957?**
Law No. 3297 is a Brazilian federal statute promulgated on October 30, 1957, by President Juscelino Kubitschek that establishes provisions for supplementary credit, judiciary operations, and government budget allocations, serving as a binding legal norm within Brazil's federal system.

**Who approved this law and what was the political context?**
President Juscelino Kubitschek approved the law through promulgation on October 30, 1957, during his developmentalist presidency (1956-1961) when Brazil pursued rapid industrialization and infrastructure development, including the early planning for the new capital Brasília.

**What specific subjects does this law regulate?**
The law addresses three main areas: supplementary credit mechanisms (Credito Suplementar), judiciary administrative matters (Judiciario), and government budget provisions (Verba Um), reflecting the financial and administrative governance needs of mid-20th century Brazil.

**Where can I access the original text of this law?**
The complete text is publicly available at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3297.htm and is cataloged in Brazil's LexML system under the identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-10-30;3297.

**What type of legal instrument is this and how does it fit into Brazil's legal system?**
This is a federal statute, which is a formal written document that creates law and serves as the manifestation of statutory law in Brazil, operating as a subclass of written work and document within the country's civil law tradition inherited from Portuguese legal systems.

**Is this law protected by copyright?**
No, as an official legislative enactment, Law No. 3297 is in the public domain under the edict of government doctrine, which establishes that statutes, judicial opinions, and administrative rulings are not copyrightable in jurisdictions like the United States and France.

## Why It Matters

Law No. 3297 of October 30, 1957 matters because it represents a concrete legislative act from a pivotal era in Brazil's modernization, when President Juscelino Kubitschek's government was aggressively pursuing industrialization and administrative reform. As a statute regulating supplementary credit and judiciary budgets, it provided essential legal mechanisms for managing public finances during a period of rapid economic expansion and state-building. The law's inclusion in the LexML digital repository and WikiProject Brazilian Laws ensures its preservation and accessibility, demonstrating Brazil's commitment to open government and public access to legal documents. Its public domain status reinforces the principle that citizens must have unrestricted access to the laws governing them. The law's enactment in Rio de Janeiro—then the federal capital—places it within the historical context of Brazil's administrative center before the 1960 inauguration of Brasília. Furthermore, its classification as a statute with multiple subject areas (credit, judiciary, budget) illustrates the comprehensive nature of mid-20th century Brazilian federal legislation, which often bundled related administrative provisions into single enactments. The law serves as a primary source document for understanding Brazil's legal and administrative evolution, particularly regarding financial controls over the judiciary branch and supplementary budgetary processes. Its existence within Brazil's statutory framework, which operates under a civil law system, highlights how written legislative acts function as the definitive source of law, distinct from common law precedents. The law's technical specifications—its LexML identifier, official URL, and standardized citation format—exemplify modern Brazilian efforts to create persistent, citable references for legal texts, facilitating academic research, judicial review, and administrative implementation.

## Notable For

- **Presidential Promulgation**: Uniquely enacted through direct promulgation by President Juscelino Kubitschek on October 30, 1957, during his transformative presidency
- **Multi-Subject Statute**: Distinctively addresses three disparate but related governance areas—supplementary credit, judiciary administration, and budget provisions—within a single legislative act
- **LexML Cataloging**: Bears the permanent identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-10-30;3297 in Brazil's official legal markup language system
- **Digital Accessibility**: Continuously available through the Planalto portal's historical legislation archive spanning 1950-1969
- **WikiProject Inclusion**: Specifically tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws, indicating active community documentation efforts
- **Public Domain Status**: Exempt from copyright restrictions as an official government edict, ensuring free reproduction and distribution
- **Publication Location**: Published in Rio de Janeiro, marking it as a product of Brazil's former capital before the federal government relocated to Brasília in 1960
- **Historical Era**: Represents legislation from Brazil's Second Republic period (1946-1964), preceding the military dictatorship
- **Authority Control**: Cataloged under multiple international library systems including Library of Congress, German GND, and French national library
- **Semantic Web Equivalence**: Classified as equivalent to schema.org/Legislation, enabling machine-readable structured data integration
- **Dewey Decimal Classification**: Indexed under both 342.057 (constitutional and administrative law) and 348.02 (statutes, legislative acts)
- **Language Specificity**: Written in Brazilian Portuguese, reflecting the country's official language status
- **Jurisdictional Specificity**: Applies exclusively within Brazil's federal jurisdiction, which encompasses 26 states and one Federal District
- **Statutory Form**: Embodies the civil law tradition where statutes serve as primary sources of law rather than judicial precedents
- **Government Budget Focus**: Specifically addresses "Verba Um" (One Funds), indicating precise budgetary line item control
- **Judiciary Funding**: Directly impacts judiciary branch financing through dedicated statutory provisions
- **Supplementary Credit Mechanism**: Establishes legal framework for extraordinary credit allocations beyond regular budgets
- **Citable Reference**: Uses standardized citation format "Lei nº 3297/1957" recognized across Brazilian legal practice
- **Temporal Precision**: Exact promulgation date (October 30, 1957) provides precise legislative timeline anchoring

## Body

### Legal Classification and Nature

Law No. 3297 of October 30, 1957 is classified as a **statute**, which constitutes a formal written document that creates law within Brazil's legal system. As a statute, it functions as a manifestation of statutory law and contains legal norms as its constituent parts. The law is an instance of a legal term or legal concept and operates as a subclass of written work, document, and rule. Its creation followed draft laws and was caused by the legislative process culminating in presidential promulgation. The statute's enactment resulted in binding statutory law applicable throughout Brazil's federal jurisdiction. In semantic web terms, the statute class is equivalent to `https://schema.org/Legislation`, enabling machine-readable representation of this legal instrument. The law is cataloged under Dewey Decimal classifications 342.057 (constitutional and administrative law) and 348.02 (statutes, legislative acts), and holds international authority control identifiers including Library of Congress Authority ID sh85127611, German GND ID 4020660-9, and Bibliothèque nationale de France ID 120485802.

### Enactment and Historical Context

The law was approved by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil** through the act of promulgation on October 30, 1957. President **Juscelino Kubitschek** personally authorized the statute during his administration (1956-1961), a period characterized by ambitious development programs and the slogan "50 years of progress in 5." At enactment, Brazil operated as a federal republic under its 1946 Constitution, with Rio de Janeiro serving as the federal capital—Brasília would not be inaugurated until April 22, 1960. The promulgation occurred during Brazil's Second Republic era (1946-1964), preceding the military dictatorship that began in 1964. This timing places the law within a democratic period when Brazil pursued import substitution industrialization and massive infrastructure projects. The statute represents one of numerous legislative acts from Kubitschek's presidency that expanded federal administrative capacity and financial controls.

### Subject Matter and Regulatory Scope

The statute addresses three principal subjects identified in its structural metadata:

- **Supplementary Credit (Credito Suplementar)**: Establishes legal mechanisms for extraordinary budgetary allocations beyond initially approved appropriations, allowing federal government flexibility in fiscal management during unforeseen circumstances or development priorities.

- **Judiciary (Judiciario)**: Contains provisions governing administrative and financial operations of the judicial branch, including budget execution and resource allocation for courts and related institutions.

- **Government Budget (Verba Um)**: Regulates specific budgetary line items designated as "One Funds," representing precise congressional appropriations for designated federal purposes.

This multi-subject approach reflects mid-20th century Brazilian legislative practice of consolidating related administrative provisions into comprehensive statutes rather than separating them into distinct enactments.

### Publication and Digital Accessibility

The law was published in **Rio de Janeiro**, then the seat of Brazil's federal government. Its official text is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the country's sole official language. The statute is permanently identified by its **LexML Brazil ID**: urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-10-30;3297, which follows the Brazilian Legal Markup Language standard for unique legal document identification. The complete text remains publicly accessible at the official URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3297.htm, maintained by the Presidency's legislative documentation system. As an official government edict, the law is in the **public domain** under the edict of government doctrine, which denies copyright protection to legislative enactments in the United States, France, and Brazil, ensuring unrestricted public access. The statute is actively tracked by **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, a Wikimedia initiative dedicated to documenting Brazilian legislation, indicating its significance for digital preservation and open knowledge initiatives.

### Jurisdictional and Systemic Context

The law **applies to jurisdiction: Brazil**, meaning it binds all entities within Brazil's federal system, including 26 states, one Federal District, municipalities, and federal territories. As a federal statute, it operates within Brazil's civil law tradition, where written legislative acts constitute the primary source of law rather than judicial precedent. The statute's enactment occurred when Brazil's government consisted of a presidential executive, bicameral National Congress (Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies), and Supreme Federal Court as the highest judicial authority. The law forms part of Brazil's statutory framework that includes the Constitution of Brazil (then the 1946 Constitution, later replaced by the 1988 Constitution), complementary laws, decrees, and regulations. Its provisions remain subject to subsequent legislative amendments, judicial interpretation by the Supreme Federal Court, and potential repeal or modification by later statutes.

### Technical Specifications and Authority Control

The statute uses standardized **legal citation** "Lei nº 3297/1957" across Brazilian legal practice. It is classified as an instance of statute with the following technical attributes:

- **Language of Work**: Brazilian Portuguese (pt-br)
- **Publication Date**: 1957-10-30 (point in time precision)
- **Place of Publication**: Rio de Janeiro (geographic precision)
- **Determination Method**: Promulgation (specific act of presidential approval)

The law is cataloged in multiple international library and knowledge systems beyond LexML, including:
- **Wikidata**: Described as "Brazilian law" with structured properties
- **German GND**: ID 4020660-9, categorized as "Gesetz" (Law)
- **Library of Congress**: Authority ID sh85127611 under "statutes" subject heading
- **Bibliothèque nationale de France**: ID 120485802
- **National Library of Spain**: ID XX528757 under "Leyes" (Laws)
- **Art & Architecture Thesaurus**: ID 300027891 for statutes as acts of legislature

These identifiers enable cross-referencing across global bibliographic systems and support academic legal research.

### Historical and Cultural Documentation

The statute is documented in various encyclopedic and educational resources that contextualize Brazilian law. It appears within knowledge bases that reference the *Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia*, *Granat Encyclopedic Dictionary*, and *Otto's encyclopedia* for general statute definitions. For Brazil-specific context, the law exists within documentation covering Brazil's political development from Portuguese colony (State of Brazil, established 1549) through independence (September 7, 1822), empire (1822-1889), and republic phases. The law's enactment during Kubitschek's presidency connects to his broader legacy of developmentalism, including construction of Brasília (inaugurated 1960), expansion of highways, and promotion of heavy industry. The statute represents the administrative and financial legal infrastructure supporting such ambitious federal programs.

### Preservation and Research Value

As a statute from 1957, the law provides primary source material for understanding Brazil's mid-20th century governance, fiscal policy, and administrative law. Its preservation in digital format through the Planalto portal and LexML system exemplifies Brazil's modern open-government initiatives, ensuring that historical legislation remains accessible to researchers, lawyers, judges, and citizens. The law's inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws indicates active community engagement in documenting Brazil's legislative history. The statute's multi-subject nature makes it valuable for studying how Brazilian legislatures historically bundled financial and administrative provisions. Its specific references to judiciary funding offer insights into the institutional development of Brazil's court system during a period of expanding federal power. The law's public domain status facilitates unrestricted academic analysis, publication, and citation without copyright constraints.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-10-30;3297)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3297&ano=1957&data=30/10/1957&ato=bb4AzZU9UMNRVT847)