# Law No. 3551 of February 13, 1959

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648726](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648726)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3551-of-february-13-1959

## Summary
Law No. 3551 of February 13, 1959 is a Brazilian statute promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek that addresses matters related to the Bank of Brazil, executive branch funding, agreements, and debt authorization. As a formal written legal document published in Rio de Janeiro, it represents a specific legislative act from Brazil's federal government during the developmentalist period of the late 1950s.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 3551, de 13 de fevereiro de 1959
- **Publication Date:** February 13, 1959
- **Promulgated By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President Juscelino Kubitschek
- **Legal Classification:** Instance of a "statute"—a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies exclusively to Brazil
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro (then the federal capital, as Brasília would become capital on April 22, 1960)
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Standard Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3551/1959
- **LExML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-02-13;3551
- **Main Subjects:** Authorization, Bank of Brazil, executive branch, funding, agreement, debt
- **Access URL:** Available at https://legis.senado.leg.br/norma/?numero=3551&tipo_norma=lei&data=19590213&link=s
- **Wikimedia Project:** Included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws for documentation and preservation

## FAQs
**What type of legal document is Law No. 3551 of February 13, 1959?**
It is a statute—a formal written document that creates law and serves as the concrete manifestation of statutory law in Brazil. As a subclass of written work, document, and rule, it represents an official legislative enactment distinct from broader concepts of legislation or legal acts.

**Who approved and signed this law?**
The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek on February 13, 1959, during his presidential term from 1956 to 1961.

**What institutions and topics does this law involve?**
The legislation specifically addresses the Bank of Brazil (Banco Do Brasil), executive branch operations (Executivo), funding mechanisms (Financiamento), agreements (Convenio), and debt matters (Debitos), indicating a focus on federal financial and banking authorization.

**Where can researchers access the official text of Law No. 3551?**
The full text is publicly available through the Brazilian Senate's legislation portal at https://legis.senado.leg.br/norma/?numero=3551&tipo_norma=lei&data=19590213&link=s, and is also indexed in the LExML system with the unique identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-02-13;3551.

**How is this law classified in legal and library systems?**
It is cataloged as a statute with a Wikidata description of "Brazilian law," and is part of WikiProject Brazilian Laws, which organizes and maintains documentation of Brazilian federal legislation for public reference.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 3551 of February 13, 1959 matters because it represents a specific legislative act from a pivotal era in Brazilian history—the Kubitschek presidency (1956-1961), which was characterized by rapid industrialization, the construction of Brasília, and ambitious development programs. As a statute dealing with Bank of Brazil operations, executive funding, and debt authorization, it likely provided crucial financial mechanisms that supported the government's developmentalist policies and infrastructure investments. Its inclusion in the LExML digital legal system and WikiProject Brazilian Laws ensures its preservation as part of Brazil's official legislative record, making it accessible for historical research, legal precedent analysis, and understanding the evolution of Brazilian banking and financial law. The law's publication in Rio de Janeiro just months before the capital's transfer to Brasília also marks it as a document from the final period of Rio's administrative centrality, capturing the legal framework of a government on the verge of physical and symbolic relocation.

## Notable For
- **Specific Presidential Era:** Enacted during Juscelino Kubitschek's developmentalist administration, a period known for the "50 years in 5" growth campaign and Brasília's construction
- **Precise LExML Identification:** Assigned the unique permanent identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-02-13;3551 in Brazil's official legal markup language system
- **Capital Transition Timing:** Published in Rio de Janeiro on February 13, 1959, just two months before the federal government's relocation to Brasília on April 22, 1960
- **Financial Focus:** Concentrates specifically on the Bank of Brazil and executive branch financial operations, distinguishing it from social or criminal legislation of the period
- **Wikimedia Documentation:** Formally included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws, indicating its recognition as a significant piece of federal legislation worth specialized cataloging
- **Multi-Subject Scope:** Addresses six distinct but related subjects—authorization, banking, executive functions, funding, agreements, and debt—within a single statutory instrument
- **Public Domain Status:** As an official Brazilian legislative enactment, it is in the public domain and freely accessible, consistent with the edict of government doctrine that places official legal documents outside copyright restrictions

## Body

### Legal Classification and Nature
Law No. 3551 of February 13, 1959 is formally classified as a **statute**, which is defined as a formal written document that creates law and encompasses acts, executive orders, and by-laws. As a legal concept, it functions as both a written work and a rule, serving as the concrete manifestation of statutory law. The statute is composed of legal norms and is itself part of the broader concepts of law and legal act. Its creation was preceded by draft laws and ultimately caused by the legislative process, resulting in statutory law that governs specific aspects of Brazilian federal administration.

### Publication and Identification Details
The law was officially published on **February 13, 1959**, in **Rio de Janeiro**, which served as Brazil's federal capital until the inauguration of Brasília two months later. It carries the standard legal citation **Lei nº 3551/1959** and is registered in Brazil's LExML (Lex Markup Language) system with the permanent identifier **urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-02-13;3551**. The document was written in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil, and applies exclusively to Brazilian jurisdiction. The law is publicly accessible online through the Senate legislation portal at https://legis.senado.leg.br/norma/?numero=3551&tipo_norma=lei&data=19590213&link=s.

### Promulgation Authority and Historical Context
The statute was **approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil** and specifically **promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek** on the date of publication. This occurred during Kubitschek's single term (1956-1961), a period marked by aggressive economic development, the establishment of the automotive industry in Brazil, and the ambitious project to build a new capital city. The timing of this law—published in the final weeks of Rio de Janeiro's status as capital—places it within a transitional moment in Brazilian administrative history.

### Subject Matter and Scope
According to its metadata, Law No. 3551 addresses multiple interconnected subjects:
- **Authorization (Autorização):** Grants legal permission for unspecified federal actions
- **Bank of Brazil (Banco Do Brasil):** Involves Brazil's federal public bank, the oldest and largest bank in the country
- **Executive Branch (Executivo):** Pertains to operations of the federal executive power
- **Funding (Financiamento):** Establishes mechanisms for financial resource allocation
- **Agreement (Convenio):** Regulates formal arrangements or contracts
- **Debt (Debitos):** Addresses obligations or liability matters

These subjects indicate the law's focus on financial and administrative governance, likely providing the legal framework for executive branch operations involving the Bank of Brazil and federal fiscal management.

### Documentation and Preservation
The law is formally documented in multiple Brazilian government systems and participates in broader knowledge organization initiatives. It is included in **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, a Wikimedia project dedicated to cataloging and preserving Brazilian legislation. The law's metadata references include verification dates from 2021, confirming its continued presence in official databases. As a federal statute, it benefits from the **public domain status** that applies to official Brazilian government documents, ensuring unrestricted public access and reproduction rights under the edict of government doctrine.

### Relationship to Brazilian Legal Structure
As a federal statute, Law No. 3551 exists within Brazil's hierarchical legal system established by the Constitution. Brazil operates as a **federal republic** with a presidential system, where the President serves as both head of state and head of government. During the law's enactment, Brazil was governed under the 1946 Constitution, which preceded the current 1988 Constitution. The law's focus on the Bank of Brazil connects it to one of Brazil's most important federal institutions, founded in 1808 and serving as a key instrument of government economic policy throughout the country's history.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-02-13;3551)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3551&ano=1959&data=13/02/1959&ato=317oXQU5UMRRVT7db)