# Law No. 3558 of May 17, 1959

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648754](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648754)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3558-of-may-17-1959

## Summary
**Law No. 3558 of May 17, 1959** (Lei nº 3558, de 17 de maio de 1959) is a Brazilian federal statute that authorized a special budgetary allocation of Cr$ 3,000,000.00 (three million cruzeiros) in financial aid to the Spiritist Educational Institution and Domestic School of Araguari (Educandário Espírita e Escola Doméstica de Araguari) in the state of Minas Gerais. The law was promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek and published from Rio de Janeiro, then the federal capital of Brazil.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 3558, de 17 de maio de 1959
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3558/1959
- **Type of Instrument:** Statute (formal written document creating law)
- **Publication Date:** May 17, 1959
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Promulgated By:** President Juscelino Kubitschek (via promulgation on May 17, 1959)
- **Jurisdiction:** Brazil (federal level)
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Amount Appropriated:** Cr$ 3,000,000.00 (three million cruzeiros)
- **Beneficiary Institution:** Educandário Espírita e Escola Doméstica de Araguari (Spiritist Educational Institution and Domestic School of Araguari)
- **Location of Beneficiary:** Araguari, State of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
- **Budgetary Mechanism:** Crédito Especial (Special Budgetary Adjustment)
- **Administering Ministry:** Ministério da Educação (MEC) — Ministry of Education
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-05-17;3558
- **Official URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3558.htm
- **Wikimedia Project Affiliation:** WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs

**What was the purpose of Law No. 3558/1959?**
The law authorized federal financial assistance in the amount of three million cruzeiros (Cr$ 3,000,000.00) to support the Spiritist Educational Institution and Domestic School of Araguari, an educational organization located in Araguari, Minas Gerais. The funding was designated as a special budgetary credit (crédito especial).

**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 May 17, 1959.

**What type of legal instrument is this?**
Law No. 3558/1959 is classified as a statute — a formal written document that creates law at the federal level in Brazil. It functions as a manifestation of statutory law and is part of the broader body of Brazilian federal legislation.

**Where can the official text of this law be accessed?**
The official text is available through the Brazilian government's legal portal at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3558.htm and is indexed under the LexML Brazil system with identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-05-17;3558.

**What government body was responsible for administering this aid?**
The Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação — MEC) was identified as a main subject of the legislation, indicating its role in the administration or oversight of the financial aid disbursement.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 3558 of May 17, 1959 represents a specific instance of federal educational funding allocation during Brazil's developmental period under President Juscelino Kubitschek. This law exemplifies the Brazilian federal government's direct financial support for private or community educational institutions, particularly those with religious or philosophical affiliations — in this case, a Spiritist educational organization. 

The law matters as a historical artifact of Brazilian legislative practice during a pivotal era of nation-building and modernization. The Kubitschek administration (1956-1961) was characterized by ambitious development projects and social investments, and this law reflects the broader policy approach of channeling federal resources to educational infrastructure across the country, including in interior states like Minas Gerais.

From a legal taxonomy perspective, the law serves as a concrete example of a Brazilian federal statute — demonstrating how statutory law functions as the formal written manifestation of legal rules enacted through the legislative process. It illustrates the use of "crédito especial" (special credit) as a budgetary mechanism for allocating funds outside the regular budget cycle.

## Notable For
- **Specific Educational Funding:** Authorized targeted financial aid to a named Spiritist educational institution in Araguari, Minas Gerais
- **Kubitschek Era Legislation:** Enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek, a period known for rapid modernization and infrastructure development in Brazil
- **Special Budgetary Mechanism:** Utilized "Crédito Especial" (special budgetary adjustment) as the funding vehicle
- **Pre-Brasília Publication:** Published from Rio de Janeiro before Brazil's capital was transferred to Brasília on April 22, 1960
- **Historical Currency Reference:** Denominated in cruzeiros (Cr$), Brazil's currency at the time
- **Federal Support for Private Education:** Demonstrates federal financial support for non-public educational institutions with religious/philosophical character
- **LexML Integration:** Indexed in Brazil's official legal document system with persistent uniform resource name

## Body

### Legislative Classification and Formal Description
Law No. 3558 of May 17, 1959 is formally classified as a **statute** (estatuto) — a formal written document that creates law. As a statute, it serves as a manifestation of statutory law and represents a legal act resulting from the Brazilian federal legislative process. The law is categorized as an instance of a "legal term or legal concept" and functions as a subclass of written work, document, and rule.

The statute contains **legal norms** that establish the authorization for financial disbursement and the conditions under which such disbursement occurs. As a federal law, it applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil and was enacted through the formal process of promulgation by the executive authority.

### Subject Matter and Beneficiaries
The law addresses multiple interconnected subjects organized around the central purpose of educational funding:

**Primary Beneficiary:**
- **Educandário Espírita e Escola Doméstica de Araguari** — The Spiritist Educational Institution and Domestic School of Araguari, an educational establishment located in the municipality of Araguari, in the state of Minas Gerais

**Subject Classifications:**
- **Instituição Educacional** (Educational Institution) — The primary category of the beneficiary organization
- **Auxílio Financeiro** (Financial Aid) — The mechanism of support being authorized
- **Crédito Especial** (Special Budgetary Adjustment) — The budgetary classification for the appropriation
- **Município** (Municipality) — The administrative level at which Araguari is classified
- **Estado de Minas Gerais (MG)** — The federative state where the beneficiary is located

The law's digest (official summary) states: "CONCEDE O AUXILIO DE CR 3.000.000,00 AO EDUCANDARIO ESPIRITA E ESCOLA DOMESTICA DE ARAGUARI, ESTADO DE MINAS GERAIS" — translating to "Grants financial aid of Cr$ 3,000,000.00 to the Spiritist Educational Institution and Domestic School of Araguari, State of Minas Gerais."

### Financial Provisions
The law authorizes a specific monetary appropriation:
- **Amount:** Cr$ 3,000,000.00 (three million cruzeiros)
- **Currency:** Cruzeiro (Cr$) — the official currency of Brazil at the time of enactment
- **Funding Type:** Financial aid (auxílio financeiro)
- **Budgetary Category:** Special credit (crédito especial)

The designation as "crédito especial" indicates that this allocation was made outside the ordinary budgetary process, typically requiring specific legislative authorization for extraordinary or unforeseen expenditures.

### Institutional Framework
The law operates within the context of Brazil's federal educational administration system:

**Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação — MEC):**
The Ministry of Education is identified as a main subject of the legislation, suggesting its involvement in the administration, disbursement, or oversight of the allocated funds. The MEC serves as the primary federal body responsible for educational policy and funding in Brazil.

**Geographic Scope:**
- **Nation:** Brazil
- **State:** Minas Gerais (MG)
- **Municipality:** Araguari

The law demonstrates the federal government's capacity to direct resources to specific local institutions within individual states and municipalities.

### Historical and Political Context
**Presidential Administration:**
The law was promulgated during the presidency of **Juscelino Kubitschek** (1956-1961), a period marked by ambitious national development programs, industrialization efforts, and infrastructure expansion. Kubitschek's presidency is particularly noted for the construction of Brasília as the new federal capital.

**Publication Location:**
The law was published from **Rio de Janeiro**, which served as the capital of Brazil until April 22, 1960, when the government relocated to Brasília. This places Law No. 3558 among the final pieces of legislation published from the former capital during the republican era.

**Date of Enactment:**
May 17, 1959 — positioning the law within the latter half of Kubitschek's term, a period of intensified development activity and federal investment across various sectors.

### Legal Identification and Access
**LexML Brazil Identifier:**
The law is indexed in Brazil's official legal document system under the persistent identifier:
- **URN:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-05-17;3558

This Uniform Resource Name follows the LexML standard for legal document identification, providing a stable reference for the legislation regardless of where or how it is accessed.

**Official Digital Access:**
The full text of the law is available through the Brazilian government's official legal portal:
- **URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3558.htm

This digital publication is hosted by the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic (Casa Civil da Presidência da República), ensuring official authenticity and public accessibility.

**Legal Citation:**
The standard legal citation format for this legislation is **Lei nº 3558/1959**, following Brazilian legal citation conventions that combine the law number with the year of enactment.

### Language and Jurisdiction
**Language of the Law:**
The law is composed in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil and the language in which all federal legislation is enacted and published.

**Jurisdictional Scope:**
The law applies to the jurisdiction of **Brazil** at the federal level. As a federal statute, it has force of law throughout the national territory, though its specific effects are targeted at a particular institution in Minas Gerais.

### Wikimedia and Scholarly Context
**WikiProject Affiliation:**
Law No. 3558/1959 is included in **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, indicating its recognition within collaborative knowledge organization efforts focused on documenting Brazilian legislation. This classification places the law within a broader systematic effort to catalog, index, and make accessible the body of Brazilian statutory law.

### Related Statutory Framework
As a statute, Law No. 3558/1959 exists within the broader context of Brazilian federal legislation. Statutes as a category represent formal written documents that create law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws. They are characterized by:
- Classification as both written work and legal rule
- Creation through the legislative process
- Function as official records of enacted legal rules
- Copyright status generally in the public domain as government edicts

The law follows the standard trajectory of statutory creation: preceded by draft legislation, caused by the legislative act, and resulting in statutory law that becomes part of the enforceable legal framework.

### References and Source Documentation
The information about this law is supported by multiple authoritative references:
- **LexML Brazil** (accessed 2021-01-28): Provides the official URN and publication metadata
- **Presidential Legislation Portal** (legislacao.presidencia.gov.br, accessed 2021-02-17): Confirms promulgation details and presidential authorization
- **Law Digest Record** (accessed 2021-04-10): Provides the official summary text describing the law's purpose and beneficiary

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-05-17;3558)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3558&ano=1959&data=17/05/1959&ato=1b5QTRU5UMRRVT927)
3. LexML Brasil