# Law No. 3685 of December 9, 1959

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648743](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648743)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3685-of-december-9-1959

## Summary
**Law No. 3685 of December 9, 1959** is a Brazilian federal statute that authorizes a special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) specifically for the Ministry of Education. It was enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek and applies to the entire Federative Republic of Brazil. The law serves as a formal legal instrument for allocating designated financial resources within the country's federal budget.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 3685, de 9 de dezembro de 1959.
- **Classification:** Instance of a statute (statute).
- **Date of Promulgation:** December 9, 1959.
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, under President Juscelino Kubitschek.
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to the entirety of Brazil.
- **Primary Subject:** Authorizes a "special budgetary adjustment" (Credito Especial).
- **Beneficiary Entity:** Ministry of Education (Ministerio Da Educação - MEC).
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro.
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese.
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3685/1959.
- **Legislative Identifier:** URN: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-12-09;3685` (LexML Brazil ID).
- **Official Digital Source:** Available at `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3685.htm`.
- **WikiProject Association:** Listed on the on-focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws.

## FAQs
**What is the legal purpose of Law No. 3685?**
This law creates a special budgetary credit (Crédito Especial), which is a specific legislative mechanism used to allocate additional or previously unappropriated funds. Its purpose in this instance is to provide a designated financial adjustment for the Ministry of Education.

**Who was responsible for enacting this law?**
The law was enacted by the Executive Branch of Brazil, specifically the Presidency of the Federative Republic. It was promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek on December 9, 1959, as part of his governmental duties.

**Where can the official text of this law be found?**
The official text is accessible online via the Brazilian government's legal portal at the Planalto website (`https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3685.htm`) and is uniquely identified in the Brazilian legal information system with the LexML ID `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-12-09;3685`.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 3685 of December 9, 1959, matters as a specific instrument of fiscal policy under the administration of President Juscelino Kubitschek. While individual budgetary laws like this are often administrative in nature, this statute represents a direct allocation of federal resources to the Ministry of Education (MEC) at a critical time in Brazil's development. It exemplifies the executive power's role in managing and adjusting the federal budget to meet governmental priorities. For legal researchers and historians, it serves as a concrete record of federal spending authorizations and the legislative processes of late 1950s Brazil.

## Notable For
- **Specific Budgetary Authorization:** Uniquely designates a "Credito Especial" (Special Credit) for the Ministry of Education.
- **Historical Context:** Enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek, a period of significant industrialization and development in Brazil.
- **Official Identification:** Possesses a distinct LexML Brazil URN identifier (`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-12-09;3685`), confirming its status as an official federal legal document.
- **Digital Preservation:** Maintained as a digital resource on the official Brazilian government portal (planalto.gov.br).

## Body

### Legislative Context and Authority
Law No. 3685 is classified as a **statute**, a formal written document that creates law. In the hierarchy of Brazilian legal instruments, it functions as a legal norm enacted by the federal government. Its validity and authority derive from the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**, the executive body responsible for its promulgation. The law was officially approved via promulgation on **December 9, 1959**, under the leadership of **President Juscelino Kubitschek**, who served as the head of state and government at that time.

### Subject Matter and Budgetary Function
The primary function of this statute is to authorize a **special budgetary adjustment** (referred to in Portuguese as "Credito Especial"). In public administration, a special credit is a legislative allocation that provides funds for urgent or unforeseen expenses that were not included in the original annual budget law. This particular law targets the **Ministry of Education** (Ministério da Educação - MEC), indicating a specific financial disbursement or reallocation intended for the education sector.

### Official Publication and Identification
The law was published in **Rio de Janeiro**, which, although no longer the federal capital (which moved to Brasília in April 1960), remained a major center for official publications at the time. The legal citation for this document is **Lei nº 3685/1959**, and its full formal title is "Lei nº 3685, de 9 de dezembro de 1959."

To ensure unambiguous identification within digital legal systems, the law is assigned the following unique identifier:
- **LexML Brazil ID:** `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-12-09;3685`

This URN (Uniform Resource Name) follows a structured format denoting the country (br), the level of federation (federal), the type of act (lei), the date (1959-12-09), and the number (3685).

### Jurisdiction and Language
The statute's authority extends across the entire **Federative Republic of Brazil**, making it applicable to all states and territories within the national boundaries. The official text is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the sole official language of the country.

### Digital Access and Project Inclusion
The full, authentic text of Law No. 3685 is publicly accessible to ensure transparency and adherence to the "edict of government doctrine," which holds that official legal documents are in the public domain. The digital version is hosted by the Brazilian government at the following official URL:
- **Work Available at URL:** `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3685.htm`

Furthermore, this legal entity is tracked and curated within collaborative knowledge projects, being specifically included on the on-focus list of **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, which aims to improve coverage of Brazilian legislative acts.

### Related Entities and Concepts
The creation and existence of this law are intrinsically linked to several key entities and concepts:
- **Country:** Brazil – The sovereign state enacting and enforcing the law.
- **Approved By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil – The executive authority.
- **Instance Of:** Statute – The broader class of legal document to which this law belongs.
- **Main Subject:** Special budgetary adjustment – The core financial mechanism being authorized.
- **Main Subject:** Ministry of Education (MEC) – The federal body receiving the budgetary allocation.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1959-12-09;3685)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3685&ano=1959&data=09/12/1959&ato=149k3Y65UMRRVTc21)