# Law No. 3839 of December 15, 1960 > Brazilian law **Wikidata**: [Q105648840](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648840) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3839-of-december-15-1960 ## Summary **Law No. 3839 of December 15, 1960** (Lei nº 3839, de 15 de dezembro de 1960) is a Brazilian federal statute enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek. Published in Brasília on December 15, 1960, the law establishes a special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) authorizing government expenditures for the acquisition of goods and materials. ## Key Facts - **Official Title:** Lei nº 3839, de 15 de dezembro de 1960 - **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3839/1960 - **Enactment Date:** December 15, 1960 - **Promulgated By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil - **Approving Authority:** Juscelino Kubitschek (President of Brazil, 1956–1961) - **Publication Place:** Brasília, Federal District, Brazil - **Jurisdiction:** Brazil (federal level) - **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese - **Document Type:** Statute (formal written law) - **Classification:** Federal law / Legal act - **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-12-15;3839 - **Primary Subject:** Special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) - **Additional Subjects:** Purchasing (Aquisição), Expense (Despesa), Goods (Material) - **Official URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3839.htm - **Wikidata Classification:** Brazilian law - **WikiProject Membership:** WikiProject Brazilian Laws ## FAQs **What is the purpose of Law No. 3839/1960?** Law No. 3839/1960 creates a special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) to authorize specific government expenditures. Its stated subjects include purchasing, expenses, and goods/materials, indicating it allocated funds for procurement purposes. **Who signed Law No. 3839/1960 into effect?** The law was promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President Juscelino Kubitschek, who served as Brazil's president from 1956 to 1961. **Where can the official text of Law No. 3839/1960 be found?** The full text is available through the Brazilian government's official portal at the Planalto website (ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3839.htm) and is indexed under the LexML Brazil system with identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-12-15;3839. **What type of legal instrument is Law No. 3839/1960?** It is a statute—a formal written document that creates law at the federal level in Brazil. Statutes are classified as written works, documents, and rules that manifest statutory law and contain legal norms. ## Why It Matters Law No. 3839 of December 15, 1960, represents a specific mechanism of Brazilian public financial administration—the special budgetary credit (Crédito Especial). Such laws are essential instruments in Brazil's fiscal governance, allowing the federal government to authorize expenditures that were not included in the original annual budget or that require additional allocation. The law was enacted during the final days of Juscelino Kubitschek's presidency (which ended on January 31, 1961), a period marked by ambitious development programs and significant federal spending. Laws of this nature demonstrate the procedural requirements Brazilian government must follow to legally obligate public funds for procurement and operational needs. As a statute, it embodies the principle that government spending must be explicitly authorized through formal legislative or presidential acts, ensuring transparency and legal accountability in public finance. The law also reflects the administrative functioning of Brazil's then-new capital, Brasília, which had been inaugurated just eight months earlier on April 21, 1960. Its publication in Brasília symbolizes the formal transfer of federal administrative operations to the new capital. ## Notable For - **Late Kubitschek Era Legislation:** Enacted in the final weeks of President Juscelino Kubitschek's term, a presidency noted for rapid industrialization and infrastructure development - **Brasília Period:** One of the earliest federal laws published in Brazil's new capital city following its inauguration in April 1960 - **Special Budgetary Mechanism:** Exemplifies the "Crédito Especial" instrument used for extraordinary government expenditures - **LexML Integration:** Indexed in Brazil's official legal documentation system (LexML Brazil) with persistent identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-12-15;3839 - **Public Domain Status:** As an official Brazilian legal document (statute/edict of government), the text is not subject to copyright restrictions - **WikiProject Recognition:** Listed on WikiProject Brazilian Laws, indicating its documentation within structured legal knowledge bases ## Body ### Legislative Classification and Definition Law No. 3839 of December 15, 1960, is classified as a **statute**—a formal written document that creates law. In the Brazilian legal system, statutes serve as manifestations of statutory law and contain legal norms. The document is categorized as: - **Instance of:** Statute (legal term/concept) - **Subclass of:** Written work, document, rule - **Type:** Federal law (Brazil) - **Jurisdiction:** Brazil (national/federal level) As a statute, the law represents the concrete, written expression of a legal rule enacted by the Brazilian government. Statutes in Brazil follow a hierarchical structure within the legal system and must comply with constitutional provisions. ### Subject Matter and Scope The law addresses four interconnected subjects as documented in official records: 1. **Special Budgetary Adjustment (Crédito Especial):** The primary subject of the legislation, referring to a specific mechanism in Brazilian public finance that authorizes additional or extraordinary budget allocations outside the normal annual budget process. 2. **Purchasing (Aquisição):** The law pertains to government procurement activities, establishing authority for the acquisition of goods or services. 3. **Expense (Despesa):** The legislation addresses government expenditure, specifically authorizing the spending of public funds. 4. **Goods (Material):** The law relates to tangible items or materials to be acquired through the authorized expenditure. These subjects indicate that Law No. 3839/1960 functioned as a financial authorization measure, permitting specific government purchases through a special budgetary allocation. ### Enactment Authority The law was **approved by** the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil through **promulgation** on December 15, 1960. The specific approving authority was: - **President:** Juscelino Kubitschek - **Position:** President of Brazil - **Term:** 1956–1961 - **Method:** Promulgation (formal announcement/publication giving legal effect) Juscelino Kubitschek served as the 21st President of Brazil from January 31, 1956, to January 31, 1961. Law No. 3839 was enacted during the final six weeks of his administration, a period when his government was completing various projects associated with his "50 years in 5" development program and the construction of Brasília. ### Publication and Accessibility The law was **published in Brasília** on **December 15, 1960**. Key accessibility information includes: - **Official Portal:** Available at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3839.htm - **LexML Brazil URN:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-12-15;3839 - **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3839/1960 The LexML Brazil identifier provides a persistent, standardized reference for the legal document within Brazil's official legislative documentation framework. The Planalto website hosts the official text as part of the Civil House's collection of federal legislation from the 1950–1969 period. ### Historical and Administrative Context Law No. 3839 was enacted against the backdrop of significant transformation in Brazil: **Brasília as Capital:** The law was published in Brasília, which had become the federal capital on April 21, 1960—less than eight months before this law's publication. The city officially replaced Rio de Janeiro as the seat of the federal government on April 22, 1960. Law No. 3839 thus represents one of the early federal legal acts issued from the new capital during its inaugural year. **Kubitschek Administration Context:** President Juscelino Kubitschek's presidency was characterized by an ambitious national development plan ("Plano de Metas") that emphasized infrastructure, industrialization, and the construction of Brasília. Special budgetary credits like Law No. 3839 were common instruments during this period to finance the accelerated pace of government projects and expenditures. **Federal Budget Year:** December 1960 marked the end of the fiscal year, a period when governments often process supplementary or special budgetary authorizations to address outstanding financial obligations or urgent needs before year-end. ### Legal Status and Copyright As a **statute** and official legal document of the Brazilian government, Law No. 3839/1960 holds specific legal status: - **Public Domain:** Official legal documents such as statutes, judicial opinions, and legislative enactments are generally not subject to copyright protection under the "edict of government doctrine." This principle, recognized in multiple jurisdictions, ensures that laws are freely accessible to the public. - **Legal Authority:** The law was validly promulgated through the constitutional procedures applicable to federal legislation in Brazil. - **Jurisdictional Scope:** The law applies to the entirety of Brazil as a federal statute. ### Language and Form The law was composed and published in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil. As a statutory document, it follows the formal conventions of Brazilian legal drafting, including: - Standard legal citation format (Lei nº [number]/[year]) - Dating convention (15 de dezembro de 1960) - Official reference to promulgating authority (Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil) ### Structured Data and Knowledge Organization Law No. 3839/1960 is documented within various structured knowledge systems: - **WikiProject Brazilian Laws:** The law is included in this Wikimedia project focused on organizing and documenting Brazilian legislation - **LexML Brazil:** Integrated into Brazil's legal metadata exchange standard with persistent identifier - **Wikidata:** Classified with the description "Brazilian law" and mapped to the "statute" entity class - **Government Database:** Archived in the official presidential legislative collection (legislacao.presidencia.gov.br) ### Relationship to Broader Legal Concepts The law exists within a network of related legal concepts and procedural elements: - **Statute Classification:** As a statute, it is part of the broader category of formal written laws that includes acts, executive orders, and by-laws - **Legal Norm Containment:** The law contains legal norms—specific rules authorizing certain government actions - **Legislative Process:** The law represents the outcome of legislative or decree procedures, following draft law stages - **Statutory Law:** The law contributes to the body of statutory law in Brazil—the written law established through formal governmental processes ## References 1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1960-12-15;3839) 2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3839&ano=1960&data=15/12/1960&ato=ccdMTW650dVRVTd38)