# Law No. 3974 of October 25, 1961

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648154](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648154)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3974-of-october-25-1961

## Summary
Law No. 3974 of October 25, 1961 is a Brazilian statute enacted during the presidency of João Goulart that establishes provisions for special budgetary adjustments (Crédito Especial) and highway (Rodovia) matters. This federal law was promulgated in Brasília and represents a formal written legal document creating binding statutory law for Brazil.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 3974, de 25 de outubro de 1961
- **Alternative Name:** Lei nº 3974, de 25 de outubro de 1961
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3974/1961
- **Publication Date:** October 25, 1961
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília, Brazil
- **Promulgated By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **President at Time of Enactment:** João Goulart
- **Determination Method:** Promulgation
- **Legal Classification:** Instance of a statute (formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws)
- **Primary Subjects:** Special budgetary adjustment (stated as "Credito Especial") and highway (stated as "Rodovia")
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-10-25;3974
- **Official URL:** Available at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3974.htm
- **Wikidata Description:** Brazilian law
- **Wikimedia Project:** On focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Copyright Status:** As a statute in Brazil, this law is in the public domain and not subject to copyright restrictions, following the principle that official legal documents are freely accessible to the public

## FAQs
**What is Law No. 3974 of October 25, 1961?**
Law No. 3974 is a Brazilian federal statute enacted on October 25, 1961, during João Goulart's presidency, that addresses special budgetary credits and highway-related provisions. It is a formal written legal document that creates binding statutory law under Brazil's federal system.

**Who enacted this law and what was the process?**
The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and promulgated by President João Goulart on October 25, 1961. The determination method was formal promulgation, which is the final step in Brazil's legislative process for statutes.

**What specific topics does this law cover?**
The law's main subjects are special budgetary adjustment (referred to as "Credito Especial") and highways (referred to as "Rodovia"), making it a dual-purpose statute addressing both fiscal management and transportation infrastructure.

**Where can I access the full text of this law?**
The complete text is available at the official URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3974.htm, maintained by the Brazilian federal government. It is also indexed in the LexML Brazil system with the identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-10-25;3974.

**What type of legal instrument is this?**
This is a statute, which is a formal written document that creates law and serves as the manifestation of statutory law. Statutes are subclasses of written works, documents, and rules, and are created through the legislative process.

**Is this law part of any special collection or project?**
Yes, Law No. 3974 is included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a Wikimedia initiative focused on documenting Brazilian legislation. It is also cataloged in the LexML Brazil system, which provides uniform resource names for Brazilian legal documents.

**What language is the law written in?**
The law is written in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of Brazil, which has been the national language since the country's independence in 1822.

**How does this law fit into Brazil's legal system?**
As a federal statute, it applies to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil, a federal republic with a presidential system. Brazil's legal framework includes the Constitution of Brazil (effective since October 5, 1988), the National Congress (comprising the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies), and the Supreme Federal Court as the highest judicial authority.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 3974 of October 25, 1961 matters because it represents a concrete legislative act from a pivotal period in Brazil's political history, specifically during the early tenure of President João Goulart (1961-1964) before the 1964 military coup. The law's focus on special budgetary credits reflects the fiscal management challenges of Brazil's developing economy in the early 1960s, while its highway provisions address critical infrastructure needs in a country that is the fifth-largest nation by area at 8,515,767 km². As a statute, it exemplifies how Brazil's federal government exercises legislative authority through formal written documents that become part of the nation's statutory law. The law's inclusion in the LexML Brazil system and WikiProject Brazilian Laws ensures its preservation and accessibility, supporting transparency in a country that values public access to legal documents. Its public domain status reinforces the principle that citizens must have unrestricted access to the laws that govern them, which is fundamental to the rule of law in Brazil's democratic framework. The dual nature of its subject matter—combining fiscal and infrastructure concerns—demonstrates the comprehensive approach often taken in Brazilian legislation to address interconnected economic and development priorities.

## Notable For
- **Historical Timing:** Enacted during the brief democratic period of João Goulart's presidency, which ended with the 1964 military coup that established rule until 1985
- **Dual Subject Matter:** Uniquely combines special budgetary adjustment provisions with highway regulations in a single statute
- **Digital Preservation:** Cataloged with a LexML URN identifier (urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-10-25;3974), making it part of Brazil's modern legal informatics infrastructure
- **Geographic Scope:** Applies to Brazil, a country that borders ten nations (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela) and contains approximately 60% of the Amazon rainforest
- **Capital Origin:** Published in Brasília, which became Brazil's capital on April 22, 1960, just one year before this law's enactment
- **Public Accessibility:** Available through multiple official channels including the Planalto.gov.br website and indexed by WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Legal Classification:** As a statute, it is part of a legal document category that includes acts, executive orders, and by-laws, and is equivalent to the schema.org/Legislation class used in structured data
- **Linguistic Specificity:** Written in Brazilian Portuguese, a language spoken by over 213 million people in the world's sixth-most populous country

## Body

### Basic Identification and Citation
Law No. 3974 of October 25, 1961 is officially titled "Lei nº 3974, de 25 de outubro de 1961" and is alternatively cited by the same name. The standard legal citation format is "Lei nº 3974/1961". This federal statute was published on October 25, 1961, in Brasília, which had become Brazil's capital just one year earlier on April 22, 1960. The law is written in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of Brazil since its independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822. The document is classified in Wikidata as a "Brazilian law" and is specifically an instance of a statute, which is a formal written document that creates law.

### Legal Classification and Nature
As a statute, Law No. 3974 belongs to a fundamental category of legal instruments that serve as the manifestation of statutory law. Statutes are formally defined as written documents that create law, encompassing acts passed by legislatures, executive orders, and by-laws. They are classified as subclasses of written works, documents, and rules. The creation of a statute follows draft laws and is caused by legislation or a legal act, resulting in statutory law. In Brazil, as in the United States and France, statutes are in the public domain under the edict of government doctrine, meaning official legal documents are not copyrightable and are freely accessible to all citizens. This ensures that Law No. 3974 can be accessed, reproduced, and cited without restriction.

### Historical and Political Context
The law was promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President João Goulart, who served from 1961 to 1964. This places the law within a turbulent period of Brazilian history, as Goulart's presidency ended with a military coup on March 31, 1964, that established authoritarian rule until 1985. The law predates Brazil's current Constitution of 1988, which established the current federal republic structure. At the time of enactment, Brazil operated under the 1946 Constitution, and the National Congress of Brazil (comprising the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies) served as the legislative body. The Supreme Federal Court (STF) functioned as the highest judicial authority, as it does today.

### Content and Subject Matter
The main subjects of Law No. 3974 are explicitly stated as "Credito Especial" (special budgetary adjustment) and "Rodovia" (highway). This dual focus reflects Brazil's developmental priorities in the early 1960s, addressing both fiscal management through special budget credits and transportation infrastructure development. Brazil's vast territory of 8,515,767 km², covering 47% of South America's land area and featuring major rivers like the Amazon, Paraná, and São Francisco, made highway development a critical national priority. The law's budgetary provisions relate to special credits, which are extraordinary budget allocations used for unforeseen or urgent expenses.

### Publication, Access, and Digital Preservation
The law is available at the official URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3974.htm, maintained by the Brazilian federal government's official portal. It is indexed in the LexML Brazil system with the uniform resource name urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-10-25;3974, which provides a persistent identifier for Brazilian legal documents. The law is also part of WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a Wikimedia project focused on documenting Brazilian legislation. The publication date is confirmed as October 25, 1961, with references from both LexML and the official presidential legislation database.

### Jurisdictional and Geographic Application
The law applies to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil, a federal republic that has operated as a sovereign state since September 7, 1822. Brazil's federal system includes 26 states plus one Federal District, with a population that grew from approximately 72.8 million in 1960 to over 213 million by 2025. The country shares borders with ten nations: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Brazil's geographic diversity includes the Amazon rainforest (containing approximately 60% of the world's largest tropical rainforest), the Pantanal wetlands, the Cerrado savanna, and the Atlantic Forest, making transportation infrastructure legislation particularly significant.

### Related Legal and Governmental Framework
Law No. 3974 operates within Brazil's statutory law system, where statutes function as the concrete manifestation of legal rules enacted by governmental authority. The law is equivalent to the schema.org/Legislation class used in structured web data. It is cataloged in library systems under Dewey Decimal classifications 342.057 and 348.02, which correspond to statutory law. The concept of statutes is heavily indexed across global knowledge bases, with the Library of Congress Authority ID sh85127611, Bibliothèque nationale de France ID 120485802, and German GND ID 4020660-9. While these identifiers refer to the general concept of statutes, they contextualize Law No. 3974 within a globally recognized legal framework.

### Cultural and Linguistic Context
The law is written in Brazilian Portuguese, which differs from European Portuguese in pronunciation, vocabulary, and some grammatical structures. Brazil's population includes diverse ethnic groups: White Brazilians (47.7%), Pardo Brazilians (43.1%), African Brazilians (7.6%), Asian Brazilians (1.1%), and indigenous peoples (0.4%) according to 2010 census data. The country recognizes approximately 190 indigenous languages alongside Brazilian Portuguese and Brazilian Sign Language. This linguistic and cultural diversity underscores the importance of having clear, accessible statutes like Law No. 3974 that apply uniformly across the nation.

### Infrastructure and Economic Relevance
The highway provisions in Law No. 3974 relate to Brazil's extensive infrastructure needs. The country operates on right-hand traffic and has a vast road network connecting major cities like São Paulo (the most populous urban area), Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, and Recife. Brazil's economy, the largest in Latin America with a nominal GDP of approximately $1.92 trillion USD in 2022, relies heavily on transportation infrastructure for moving agricultural products (including sugarcane, coffee, soybeans, and orange juice) and industrial goods. The law's budgetary provisions for special credits would have supported infrastructure projects during a period when Brazil was establishing itself as a major emerging economy.

### International and Diplomatic Context
As Brazilian federal law, Law No. 3974 exists within a country that is a founding member of the United Nations (since 1945), a member of the G20, BRICS, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. Brazil maintains diplomatic relations with over 160 countries and has served multiple non-permanent terms on the UN Security Council. The country's foreign policy emphasizes South-South cooperation and democratic values, principles that require transparent and accessible legal frameworks like those provided by statutes such as Law No. 3974. The law's public domain status aligns with Brazil's commitment to open government and the rule of law in international forums.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-10-25;3974)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3974&ano=1961&data=25/10/1961&ato=f73ATRU5keVRVT0d7)