# Law No. 397 of September 22, 1948

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105649919](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105649919)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-397-of-september-22-1948

## Summary
Law No. 397 of September 22, 1948 is a Brazilian federal statute that authorized a special budgetary adjustment (Credito Especial) for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil (Itamarati/MRE). It was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and published in Rio de Janeiro, serving as a specific legal instrument for allocating funds to the nation's diplomatic service.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 397, de 22 de setembro de 1948
- **Date of Enactment:** September 22, 1948
- **Country:** Brazil
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, via promulgation
- **Legal Classification:** Instance of a statute (formal written document creating law)
- **Primary Subject Matter:** Special budgetary adjustment (Credito Especial) for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil (Itamarati/MRE), encompassing payment (Pagamento) and expense (Despesa)
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-09-22;397
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Standard Legal Citation:** Lei nº 397/1948
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to Brazil
- **Wikimedia Project Focus:** Included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs
**What is the official designation of this law?**
The law is officially titled "Lei nº 397, de 22 de setembro de 1948" and is commonly cited as "Lei nº 397/1948." Its LexML Brazil identifier is urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-09-22;397, providing a persistent digital reference.

**What specific purpose did Law No. 397/1948 serve?**
This statute authorized a special budgetary adjustment (Credito Especial) to allocate funds for payment (Pagamento) and expense (Despesa) within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil (Itamarati/MRE). It was a targeted financial measure for a specific government department.

**Which branch of the Brazilian government enacted this law?**
The law was approved and promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil on September 22, 1948. This indicates it was enacted at the federal level, consistent with Brazil's legislative process for budgetary matters.

**Where and in what language was the law published?**
It was published in Rio de Janeiro, which was Brazil's capital at the time, and the text is in Brazilian Portuguese. The publication location reflects the seat of government during that historical period.

**How is this law categorized within legal and knowledge systems?**
It is classified as an "instance of" a statute—a formal written document that creates law. In structured data, it is specifically associated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and budgetary concepts, and it is tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws on Wikimedia platforms.

**What jurisdiction does this law apply to?**
The law applies exclusively to Brazil, as it is a federal statute enacted by the national government to regulate budgetary allocations for a federal ministry.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 397/1948 is a concrete example of how Brazil's federal government historically managed departmental funding through specific legislative acts. By authorizing a special budgetary adjustment for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it directly enabled the financial operations of Brazil's diplomatic corps during a critical post-World War II period. Such laws are foundational to public administration, as they translate governmental policy into actionable, allocated resources. This statute matters because it represents the tangible mechanism by which state functions—like international relations—are financed and sustained, illustrating the intersection of fiscal law and foreign policy execution. Its preservation in digital repositories like LexML Brazil ensures continued access to this piece of Brazil's legal and administrative history.

## Notable For
- **Specific Historical Targeting:** It is a 1948 law exclusively focused on a budgetary adjustment for a single ministry (Foreign Affairs), reflecting precise fiscal control.
- **Persistent Digital Identifier:** It has a dedicated LexML Brazil URN (urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-09-22;397), ensuring stable, machine-readable access.
- **WikiProject Inclusion:** It is formally tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws, highlighting its relevance for comprehensive documentation of national legislation.
- **Presidential Promulgation:** Its enactment by the Presidency underscores the executive's role in budgetary legislation during that era.
- **Rio de Janeiro Publication:** Its place of publication marks it as part of the legal corpus from Brazil's former capital city.
- **Portuguese Language Formalism:** The law's title and content use formal Brazilian Portuguese legal terminology of the period.

## Body

### Identification and Classification
- **Official Title and Aliases:** The law's formal title is "Lei nº 397, de 22 de setembro de 1948." It has no recorded alternative aliases beyond this primary designation.
- **Instance of:** It is explicitly classified as a **statute**, meaning it is a formal written document that creates law. This places it within a global legal concept encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws.
- **Legal Citation:** The standard citation format is "Lei nº 397/1948," used for legal referencing and research.
- **Wikidata Description:** It is succinctly described as a "Brazilian law" in structured data.

### Legislative Enactment and Publication
- **Approving Authority:** The law was approved and promulgated by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The determination method is recorded as "promulgation," and the point in time is precisely September 22, 1948.
- **Publication Details:** It was published in **Rio de Janeiro**, which served as Brazil's capital until 1960. The publication date matches the enactment date: September 22, 1948.
- **Language:** The language of the work and its name is **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil.

### Subject Matter and Scope
- **Core Purpose:** The law's main subject is a **special budgetary adjustment** (stated as "Credito Especial").
- **Functional Components:** This adjustment specifically covers **payment** ("Pagamento") and **expense** ("Despesa").
- **Beneficiary Entity:** The budgetary adjustment is allocated to the **Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil** (stated as "Itamarati (Mre)"), the federal ministry responsible for diplomacy and international relations.

### Jurisdiction, Accessibility, and Documentation
- **Geographic Applicability:** The law applies to the jurisdiction of **Brazil**.
- **Digital Access:** It is assigned a unique **LexML Brazil identifier**: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-09-22;397`. LexML is Brazil's system for organizing and accessing legal norms in a structured, digital format.
- **Community Curation:** The law is on the focus list of **WikiProject Brazilian Laws** on Wikimedia platforms, indicating active community effort to document and improve coverage of Brazilian legislation.
- **Structured Data Context:** As a statute, it falls under the broader semantic equivalence to `https://schema.org/Legislation` in web ontology, though this specific law's entry does not list that property directly. Its classification as a statute connects it to global standards for legal information.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-09-22;397)