# Law No. 3797 of August 2, 1960

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648913](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648913)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3797-of-august-2-1960

## Summary
Law No. 3797 of August 2, 1960 is a Brazilian federal statute that grants an annual subsidy of 500,000 Brazilian cruzeiros (CR) to the Brazilian Academy of Philology (Academia Brasileira de Filologia). It was approved and promulgated by the Presidency of the Republic under President Juscelino Kubitschek and is classified as a law concerning a special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) for the Ministry of Education.

## Key Facts
*   **Official Designation:** Lei nº 3797, de 2 de agosto de 1960 (Law No. 3797 of August 2, 1960).
*   **Date of Publication:** August 2, 1960.
*   **Jurisdiction:** Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil).
*   **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese.
*   **Type:** Statute (formal written document creating law).
*   **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek.
*   **Primary Subject:** Special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial).
*   **Beneficiary Institution:** Brazilian Academy of Philology (Academia Brasileira de Filologia).
*   **Grant Amount:** Annual subsidy of 500,000 Brazilian cruzeiros (CR 500.000,00).
*   **Responsible Ministry:** Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação - MEC).
*   **Place of Publication:** Brasília.
*   **Official LexML ID:** `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-08-02;3797`.
*   **Official Text URL:** Available at `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3797.htm`.
*   **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3797/1960.
*   **Wikimedia Project:** On the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws.

## FAQs
**What is the primary purpose of Law No. 3797/1960?**
The law's core purpose is to authorize a special budgetary credit (Crédito Especial) to provide an annual financial subsidy of 500,000 cruzeiros to the Brazilian Academy of Philology. It allocates specific government funds to this private, non-profit institution dedicated to the study and promotion of the Portuguese language in Brazil.

**Who approved and promulgated this law?**
The law was approved and promulgated by the executive branch of the Brazilian federal government, specifically by the Presidency of the Republic. The structured data indicates this action was taken by President Juscelino Kubitschek on the date of its publication, August 2, 1960.

**What government ministry is directly responsible for implementing this law?**
The law's provisions are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação - MEC). The grant is channeled through this ministry to the beneficiary institution, the Brazilian Academy of Philology.

**Where can the full, official text of this law be accessed?**
The complete official text of Law No. 3797/1960 is published on the website of the Brazilian federal government's legislative information system, Planalto.gov.br, at the specific URL `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3797.htm`.

**How is this law classified in legal and knowledge systems?**
It is classified as a "statute," which is a formal written document that creates law. In structured data, it is an instance of a statute, applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil, and is written in Brazilian Portuguese. It is also part of the thematic focus of WikiProject Brazilian Laws on Wikimedia platforms.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 3797/1960 matters as a concrete example of state support for cultural and academic institutions in Brazil. By providing a guaranteed annual subsidy to the Brazilian Academy of Philology, the law institutionalized federal funding for an organization dedicated to the scientific study, preservation, and normative guidance of the Portuguese language in Brazil. This represents a significant act of cultural policy, affirming the government's role in supporting linguistic scholarship and the maintenance of national linguistic identity. The law's mechanism—a special budgetary credit—highlights a specific fiscal tool used to direct public resources to a defined civil society entity. Its existence in the official legal corpus ensures the Academy's financial stability and operational capacity, contributing to broader educational and cultural goals related to language, literature, and philology within the Brazilian context.

## Notable For
*   **Specific Beneficiary:** It is notable for its singular focus on providing state funding to one specific private institution, the Brazilian Academy of Philology, rather than establishing a general program or policy.
*   **Exact Financial Allocation:** The law precisely stipulates the grant amount as "CR 500.000,00" (500,000 Brazilian cruzeiros), a fixed annual sum.
*   **Historical Currency:** It references the Brazilian cruzeiro (CR), the currency in use from 1942 to 1967, placing it firmly within a specific historical economic period of Brazil.
*   **Presidential Signature:** It carries the direct promulgation signature of a historically significant president, Juscelino Kubitschek, known for his developmentalist policies and the construction of Brasília.
*   **Niche Legal Instrument:** It serves as a clear, real-world example of a "special budgetary adjustment" (Crédito Especial), a specific type of budgetary law used for non-recurring or specific allocations outside the regular annual budget.
*   **Longevity:** The law has remained in force and is still cataloged in modern official government databases (Planalto.gov.br) and Wikidata over six decades after its creation.

## Body

### Legislative Context and Classification
Law No. 3797/1960 is a federal statute of Brazil, formally enacted on August 2, 1960. It is a specific instance of the general class "statute," defined as a formal written document that creates law. Its creation was caused by the legislative act of the federal government, specifically the Presidency of the Republic. The law is part of the statutory law of Brazil and is a manifestation of a legal norm. It is cataloged under the Dewey Decimal system classifications 342.057 and 348.02, which pertain to constitutional and administrative law of specific geographic areas (in this case, Brazil).

### Content and Provisions
The law's digest summarizes its core content: "CONCEDE SUBVENÇÃO ANUAL DE CR 500.000,00 A ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE FILOLOGIA." (GRANTS ANNUAL SUBSIDY OF CR 500,000.00 TO THE BRAZILIAN ACADEMY OF PHILOLOGY). Its main subject is a "special budgetary adjustment" (Credito Especial), a legal mechanism for allocating funds outside the standard annual budget process. The sole beneficiary of this adjustment is the **Brazilian Academy of Philology** (Academia Brasileira de Filologia). The responsible government ministry for executing this grant is the **Ministry of Education** (Ministério da Educação - MEC). The law was published in the official gazette in Brasília, the federal capital since 1960.

### Key Entities and Relationships
*   **Approving Authority:** The law was approved and promulgated by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The structured data specifies this action was taken by President **Juscelino Kubitschek** on the point-in-time date of 1960-08-02.
*   **Beneficiary Institution:** The **Brazilian Academy of Philology** is the direct recipient of the annual subsidy. This is a private, non-profit learned society focused on the Portuguese language.
*   **Responsible Ministry:** The **Ministry of Education (MEC)** is the government body tasked with managing the transfer of funds to the Academy as per the law's mandate.
*   **Jurisdiction:** The law applies exclusively to the territory and legal system of **Brazil**.
*   **Language:** The work is in **Brazilian Portuguese**.
*   **Structured Data Identifiers:** The law has a unique LexML Brazil identifier (`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-08-02;3797`) for legal document retrieval. Its canonical citation is "Lei nº 3797/1960". The full text is officially available at the Planalto.gov.br URL provided.
*   **Wikimedia Context:** The law is listed on the focus list of **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, indicating its relevance for documentation and improvement on Portuguese-language Wikipedia.

### Historical and Fiscal Significance
Enacted in 1960, the law operates within the historical context of President Juscelino Kubitschek's administration (1956-1961), a period marked by significant infrastructure projects and developmentalism. The use of a "special budgetary adjustment" (Crédito Especial) suggests this was a targeted, possibly non-recurring or supplementary, allocation rather than part of the Academy's regular operational budget. The specified amount, 500,000 cruzeiros, must be understood within the monetary context of Brazil's currency at the time, before the institution of the "novo cruzeiro" in 1967. The law represents a formal, state-sanctioned financial commitment to a cultural-linguistic institution, embedding its support within the federal legal framework.

### Cultural and Institutional Impact
By guaranteeing an annual subsidy, Law 3797/1960 provides a stable source of funding for the Brazilian Academy of Philology. This enables the Academy to pursue its mission of researching, preserving, and normatively guiding the Portuguese language as used in Brazil. Such support is crucial for activities like publishing dictionaries, grammars, and scholarly works, and for maintaining the institution as a reference center for linguistic questions. The law thus serves as a tool of cultural policy, indirectly supporting education, literature, and the standardization of Brazilian Portuguese. Its continued presence in official legal databases signifies its enduring validity and the ongoing nature of the financial commitment it established.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-08-02;3797)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3797&ano=1960&data=02/08/1960&ato=dcagXS650dVRVT40c)
3. LexML Brasil