# Law No. 3377 of March 21, 1958

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105649101](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105649101)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3377-of-march-21-1958

## Summary
Law No. 3377 of March 21, 1958 is a Brazilian statute promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek that establishes special budgetary adjustments, financial aid mechanisms, and provisions related to the Ministry of Agriculture and the State of Rio de Janeiro. This federal law, written in Brazilian Portuguese and published in Rio de Janeiro, represents a formal legislative act from Brazil's 1950s developmental era and is cataloged under the LexML Brazil identifier `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1958-03-21;3377`.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 3377, de 21 de março de 1958
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3377/1958
- **Date of Promulgation:** March 21, 1958
- **Promulgated By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President Juscelino Kubitschek
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to the entire Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro
- **LexML Brazil ID:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1958-03-21;3377
- **Instance Of:** statute (a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws)
- **Main Subjects:** Special budgetary adjustment (stated as "Credito Especial"), Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil (stated as "Ministerio Da Agricultura (Magr)"), Rio de Janeiro state (stated as "Estado Do Rio De Janeiro (Rj)"), and financial aid (stated as "Auxilio Financeiro")
- **Available At:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3377.htm
- **Wikimedia Project:** Subject of WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **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
- **Classification:** Subclass of written work, document, and rule; manifestation of statutory law
- **Dewey Decimal Codes:** 342.057 and 348.02 (for statutes generally)
- **Equivalent Class:** https://schema.org/Legislation

## FAQs
**What is Law No. 3377 of March 21, 1958?**
Law No. 3377 is a Brazilian federal statute promulgated on March 21, 1958, that creates legal provisions for special budgetary credits, financial aid distribution, and specific allocations for the Ministry of Agriculture and the State of Rio de Janeiro.

**Who signed this law into effect and when?**
President Juscelino Kubitschek promulgated the law on March 21, 1958, through the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, as recorded in the official legislative database with the determination method specified as "promulgation."

**What specific topics does this law address?**
The law's main subjects include special budgetary adjustments ("Credito Especial"), the Ministry of Agriculture ("Ministerio Da Agricultura (Magr)"), the State of Rio de Janeiro ("Estado Do Rio De Janeiro (Rj)"), and financial aid mechanisms ("Auxilio Financeiro").

**Where can I access the full text of Law 3377/1958?**
The complete text is available at the official URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3377.htm, maintained by the Brazilian government's legislative documentation system.

**What type of legal document is this and how is it classified?**
This is a statute, which is a formal written document that creates law and serves as the manifestation of statutory law. It is classified as a subclass of written work, document, and rule, and is equivalent to the schema.org/Legislation class.

**In what language was the law originally written?**
The law was written in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of Brazil, as specified in its metadata record.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 3377 of March 21, 1958 matters as a historical artifact of Brazil's legislative framework during the Kubitschek administration, a pivotal period marked by rapid industrialization and the construction of the new capital, Brasília. The law exemplifies the federal government's exercise of budgetary authority through special credits and financial aid mechanisms, demonstrating how statutory law operationalizes executive policy priorities in a federal republic system. Its inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws highlights its value as a documented piece of Brazil's legal heritage, while its public domain status ensures unrestricted public access to the text. The law's specific references to the Ministry of Agriculture and the State of Rio de Janeiro provide researchers with concrete evidence of federal-state financial relationships and agricultural policy priorities in 1958. As a statute with a permanent LexML identifier, it contributes to Brazil's systematic legal documentation infrastructure, enabling precise citation and retrieval for scholars, lawyers, and government officials studying mid-20th century Brazilian public administration, fiscal policy, or the evolution of agricultural governance.

## Notable For
- **Presidential Promulgation:** Signed into law by President Juscelino Kubitschek, a key figure in Brazil's mid-20th century modernization
- **Specific LexML Identifier:** Assigned the permanent URN `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1958-03-21;3377` in Brazil's official legal markup language system
- **WikiProject Inclusion:** Formally listed as a focus item in WikiProject Brazilian Laws, indicating its cataloging importance
- **Multi-Subject Scope:** Addresses four distinct subjects in one statute: budgetary credits, agricultural ministry, state aid, and financial assistance
- **Historical Publication Location:** Published in Rio de Janeiro, which was Brazil's capital until Brasília's inauguration two years later in 1960
- **Public Domain Status:** Exempt from copyright restrictions as an official government edict, ensuring free distribution
- **Digital Accessibility:** Maintained on the Planalto website with a direct URL linking to its 1950-1969 legislative archive section
- **Standardized Citation:** Uses the formal Brazilian legal citation format "Lei nº 3377/1958" for unambiguous reference

## Body

### Basic Identification and Citation
Law No. 3377 of March 21, 1958 is formally titled "Lei nº 3377, de 21 de março de 1958" and is cited in legal references as "Lei nº 3377/1958." The statute was promulgated on March 21, 1958, through the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil. President Juscelino Kubitschek, who served from 1956 to 1961, signed the law using the determination method of promulgation. The law was published in Rio de Janeiro, which served as Brazil's capital city at the time. The official text is written in Brazilian Portuguese, the sole official language of Brazil. The law applies to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil as a federal statute.

### Legislative and Legal Classification
As an instance of a statute, Law No. 3377 belongs to the category of formal written documents that create law. Statutes are defined as encompassing acts passed by legislatures, executive orders, and by-laws. They function as manifestations of statutory law and are composed of legal norms. Statutes are created through the legislative process, following draft laws, and are caused by legislation or legal acts. In knowledge systems, statutes are classified as subclasses of written work, document, and rule. They are distinct from but related to broader concepts of law and legal acts. This classification means Law No. 3377 is the concrete, official record of a legal rule enacted by the Brazilian government. The statute is equivalent to the `https://schema.org/Legislation` class used in structured web data.

### Subject Matter and Provisions
The law addresses four main subjects as cataloged in its metadata:
- **Special Budgetary Adjustment:** Referenced as "Credito Especial," indicating provisions for extraordinary budgetary credits outside normal appropriations
- **Ministry of Agriculture:** Specifically mentioned as "Ministerio Da Agricultura (Magr)," showing the law's involvement with agricultural governance
- **State of Rio de Janeiro:** Cited as "Estado Do Rio De Janeiro (Rj)," demonstrating federal-level interaction with state entities
- **Financial Aid:** Described as "Auxilio Financeiro," establishing mechanisms for financial assistance

These subjects indicate the law's focus on fiscal and administrative measures targeting both federal ministry operations and state-level support during the 1958 fiscal year.

### Publication, Access, and Documentation
The law was published in Rio de Janeiro, which remained Brazil's capital until April 22, 1960, when the capital transferred to Brasília. The official text is digitally preserved and available at the URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3377.htm, maintained by the Brazilian federal government's legislative documentation portal. The law carries the LexML Brazil identifier `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1958-03-21;3377`, which provides a permanent, standardized Uniform Resource Name for legal citation and retrieval. This identifier follows the Brazilian Legal Markup Language standard for federal statutes. The law is also documented within Wikidata and is a focus item for WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a collaborative effort to improve coverage of Brazilian legislation across Wikimedia projects.

### Copyright and Public Domain Status
As a statute, Law No. 3377 is in the public domain in the United States under the "edict of government doctrine," which establishes that official legal documents including legislative enactments are not copyrightable. This doctrine applies regardless of whether the document is federal, state, or local. A similar public domain status applies in France. This ensures that the text remains freely accessible to the public without restriction, reinforcing principles of open government and the rule of law by guaranteeing that citizens can access the laws that govern them.

### Historical and Political Context
The law was enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek (1956-1961), a period characterized by the "Plano de Metas" (Target Plan) that emphasized rapid industrialization and infrastructure development. This era saw massive public investment, including the construction of Brasília, which would become the new capital in 1960. The law's provisions for special budgetary credits and financial aid reflect the fiscal strategies employed during this developmentalist period. Brazil's government at the time operated as a federal republic with a presidential system, under the 1946 Constitution (which remained in effect until the 1967 Constitution). The National Congress of Brazil, comprising the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies, served as the legislative body, while the Supreme Federal Court (STF) functioned as the highest judicial authority.

### Geographic and Jurisdictional Scope
While the law applies to the entire Federative Republic of Brazil, it specifically references the State of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil, as the law's jurisdiction, is the largest country in South America, spanning 8,515,767 km² and sharing borders with ten nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The country's federal structure divides power between the federal government and 26 states plus one Federal District. The law's enactment in Rio de Janeiro occurred in the final years of that city's status as national capital, before the administrative shift to Brasília on April 22, 1960.

### Cataloging and Authority Control
The concept of statute, and by extension Law No. 3377, is extensively cataloged in library and knowledge systems. Statutes are classified under Dewey Decimal codes 342.057 and 348.02. They hold various authority control identifiers: Library of Congress Authority ID `sh85127611`, Bibliothèque nationale de France ID `120485802`, National Library of Spain ID `XX528757` (where statutes are listed as "Leyes"), and German GND ID `4020660-9` (categorized as "Gesetz" or "gesetzliche Regelung"). The Art & Architecture Thesaurus lists statutes under ID `300027891`, with legislative acts as `300027889`. These classification systems ensure Law No. 3377 fits within a globally recognized framework for legal documentation.

### Language and Terminology
The law is written in Brazilian Portuguese, which is the official language of Brazil and an instance of Portuguese language with distinct orthographic and lexical characteristics. Brazil recognizes Brazilian Sign Language as an official language as well, though the law itself is a written text. The terminology used in the law's metadata—"Credito Especial," "Ministerio Da Agricultura," "Auxilio Financeiro"—reflects the administrative language of 1950s Brazilian public finance.

### Relationship to Broader Legal Framework
Law No. 3377 operates within Brazil's statutory law system, where statutes serve as the primary source of written law. As a federal law, it interacts with Brazil's Constitution, which has undergone several versions: the 1946 Constitution (in effect in 1958), the 1967 Constitution (during military rule), and the current 1988 Constitution. The law's provisions would be subject to interpretation by Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) and application by lower federal courts. The statute remains part of Brazil's legal-historical record, accessible through the Planalto portal's archive of 1950-1969 legislation, demonstrating the continuity of legal documentation across different political periods in Brazilian history.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1958-03-21;3377)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3377&ano=1958&data=21/03/1958&ato=f5bkXQ650dRRVT52a)