# Law No. 3979 of November 6, 1961 > Brazilian law **Wikidata**: [Q105648324](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648324) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3979-of-november-6-1961 ## Summary Law No. 3979 of November 6, 1961 is a Brazilian federal statute that authorized a special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) and a transfer (Transferência) of funds to the Ministry of War of Brazil (Ministério da Guerra) for application in the Federal District (Distrito Federal). It was promulgated during the presidency of João Goulart. ## Key Facts - **Official Title:** Lei nº 3979, de 6 de novembro de 1961 - **Alias:** Lei nº 3979/1961 - **Type:** Statute (formal written document that creates law) - **Jurisdiction:** Brazil - **Date of Approval/Promulgation:** November 6, 1961 - **Approved By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, under President João Goulart - **Place of Publication:** Brasília - **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese - **Primary Subjects:** Special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial), Transfer (Transferência), Ministry of War of Brazil (Ministério Da Guerra), Federal District (Distrito Federal - DF) - **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3979/1961 - **LexML Brazil ID:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-11-06;3979 - **Official Source URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3979.htm - **WikiProject:** On the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws - **Instance Of:** Statute (class: formal written document that creates law, including acts, executive orders, and by-laws) ## FAQs **What is Law No. 3979 of November 6, 1961?** It is a specific Brazilian federal statute from 1961 that authorized a special budgetary credit and a financial transfer to the Ministry of War for use in the Federal District. Its formal citation is Lei nº 3979/1961. **Who approved this law and when?** The law was approved and promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil on November 6, 1961, during the government of President João Goulart. **What was the primary purpose or subject of this law?** The law's main purpose was to open a special credit (Crédito Especial) and authorize a transfer (Transferência) of funds to the Ministry of War of Brazil (Ministério da Guerra) for allocation within the Federal District (Distrito Federal). **Where was this law published and in what language?** It was officially published in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, and its text is in Brazilian Portuguese. **How is this law documented and accessed in modern systems?** The law is identified in Brazil's LexML system with the ID `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-11-06;3979` and its full text is available at the official government portal `www.planalto.gov.br`. It is also tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws. ## Why It Matters Law No. 3979/1961 is a concrete example of mid-20th century Brazilian federal budgetary and administrative law, illustrating the legislative mechanism for allocating specific funds to a key ministry (War) within the nation's capital. Its existence provides a historical record of federal financial priorities and administrative procedures during the presidency of João Goulart, a period of significant political transition in Brazil preceding the 1964 military coup. As a published statute, it represents the formal exercise of legislative power to modify the budget for a specific governmental entity and jurisdiction, serving as a primary source for researchers studying the administration of the Federal District, military budgeting, or the legal framework of the early 1960s in Brazil. ## Notable For * **Specific Historical Context:** It is a statute from the brief, tumultuous presidency of João Goulart (1961-1964), a key period before the military dictatorship. * **Targeted Fiscal Instrument:** It is notable for its precise, narrow purpose: a "special budgetary adjustment" and "transfer" for a single ministry in a single jurisdiction (Ministry of War in the Federal District). * **Administrative Focus:** The law directly concerns the internal financial administration of a specific federal ministry, rather than broad social, economic, or criminal legislation. * **Documentation:** It is formally documented in Brazil's official legislative compilation (Planalto) and the national LexML registry, ensuring persistent, authoritative access. * **Project Recognition:** Its inclusion on the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws signifies its recognized importance within the collaborative effort to document Brazil's legal corpus on Wikimedia platforms. ## Body ### Legislative Identity and Classification Law No. 3979 of November 6, 1961 is formally identified by its official Portuguese title "Lei nº 3979, de 6 de novembro de 1961" and its standard legal citation "Lei nº 3979/1961". In knowledge systems, it is classified as an **instance of a statute**. A statute is defined as a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws. This law is a specific manifestation of statutory law, created through the Brazilian legislative process. ### Approval and Enactment The law was **approved_by** the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The structured data specifies this action occurred on **1961-11-06** (November 6, 1961) via the determination method of **promulgation**. The head of state at the time of promulgation was **President João Goulart**. This places the law's enactment squarely within the early part of Goulart's presidency, a period marked by political instability and the eventual military coup in 1964. ### Core Subject Matter and Purpose The law's **main_subject** is defined by four interconnected concepts, all stated in Portuguese: 1. **special budgetary adjustment** (Crédito Especial): This refers to a specific type of fiscal authorization, typically used for unforeseen expenses or to reallocate funds outside the regular annual budget cycle. 2. **transfer** (Transferência): This indicates the mechanism of moving funds from one budget account or entity to another. 3. **Ministry of War of Brazil** (Ministério Da Guerra): This was the federal ministry responsible for the Brazilian Army. (Note: The Ministry of War was later merged into the Ministry of Defense in 1999). 4. **Federal District** (Distrito Federal (DF)): This specifies the geographic jurisdiction where the transferred funds were to be applied. At the time, the Federal District was located in Rio de Janeiro (the capital moved to Brasília in 1960, but the Federal District entity remained). The combination of these subjects indicates the law's sole function was to authorize a specific financial operation: opening a special credit and transferring it to the Army's ministry for expenditure within the Federal District. ### Jurisdiction, Language, and Publication The law **applies_to_jurisdiction** of **Brazil**. Its **language_of_work_or_name** is **Brazilian Portuguese**. It was **published** in the city of **Brasília**, which has been Brazil's capital since 1960. The official place of publication being Brasília confirms it as a federal act of the government seated in the planned capital. ### Documentation and Accessibility The law has a persistent identifier in Brazil's national legislative information system: **lexml_brazil_id: urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-11-06;3979**. Its full text is **work_available_at_url** at the official government legislative portal `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3979.htm`. This ensures the primary source document is digitally preserved and publicly accessible, consistent with the public domain status of official legal documents. ### Context within Brazilian Legal Corpus The law is recognized as part of the body of **Brazilian laws**. Its presence on the **on_focus_list_of_wikimedia_project: WikiProject Brazilian Laws** indicates it is a targeted item for documentation, categorization, and improvement within the collaborative Wikipedia ecosystem, specifically under the Brazilian Laws project. This highlights its relevance for legal historians and editors compiling national legislation. ### Relationship to the General Concept of a Statute As an **instance of statute**, Law No. 3979/1961 exemplifies the general class described in the source material. It is a **formal written document that creates law**. It is a **manifestation of statutory law** and is **composed of legal norms** (in this case, the norm authorizing a specific budgetary transfer). Its creation was **caused by legislation** (the Brazilian Congress passing the bill, signed by the President). It **follows draft laws** in the legislative process. It is a **part of** the broader concepts of **law** and **legal act** in Brazil. ## References 1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1961-11-06;3979) 2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3979&ano=1961&data=06/11/1961&ato=045UTRU5keVRVTa7c)