# Law No. 4217 of May 8, 1963

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648457](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648457)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-4217-of-may-8-1963

## Summary
Law No. 4217 of May 8, 1963 is a Brazilian federal statute that grants a lifetime pension of CR$ 3,000.00 to Otilia Barreto Trindade, widow of Indalecio Trindade. Promulgated by President João Goulart in Brasília, this law represents a specific legislative act within Brazil's statutory framework and is cataloged under the LexML Brazil identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4217.

## Key Facts
- **Full Title:** Lei nº 4217, de 8 de maio de 1963
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 4217/1963
- **Publication Date:** May 8, 1963
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília, Brazil
- **Country:** Brazil (applies to jurisdiction: Brazil)
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Instance Of:** statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **Main Subject:** Concessão (Grant/Concession)
- **Law Digest:** CONCEDE PENSÃO VITALICIA DE CR 3.000,00 A OTILIA BARRETO TRINDADE, VIUVA DE INDALECIO TRINDADE
- **Beneficiary:** Otilia Barreto Trindade, widow of Indalecio Trindade
- **Benefit Amount:** CR$ 3,000.00 (three thousand cruzeiros)
- **Benefit Type:** Lifetime pension (pensão vitalícia)
- **Approved By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Promulgating President:** João Goulart (determination method: promulgation)
- **LexML Brazil ID:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4217
- **Official URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4217.htm
- **Wikidata Description:** Brazilian law
- **Wikimedia Project:** On focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs
**What is Law No. 4217 of May 8, 1963?**
Law No. 4217 is a Brazilian federal statute from 1963 that specifically grants a lifetime pension of CR$ 3,000.00 to Otilia Barreto Trindade, the widow of Indalecio Trindade. It is a formal written legislative act promulgated by President João Goulart and published in Brasília.

**Who was the beneficiary of this law and what did they receive?**
The beneficiary was Otilia Barreto Trindade, identified as the widow of Indalecio Trindade. She received a lifetime pension (pensão vitalícia) in the amount of CR$ 3,000.00, as explicitly stated in the law's digest.

**Who approved and promulgated this law?**
The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and promulgated by President João Goulart on May 8, 1963. The promulgation represents the formal method by which the statute became effective.

**Where can the full text of Law No. 4217 be accessed?**
The full text is available at the official URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4217.htm and is cataloged in the LexML Brazil system under the identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4217. The law was published in Brasília on May 8, 1963.

**What type of legal document is Law No. 4217?**
Law No. 4217 is classified as a statute, which is a formal written document that creates law and serves as the manifestation of statutory law. As a statute, it is a subclass of written work, document, and rule, and is equivalent to the schema.org Legislation class.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 4217 of May 8, 1963 matters because it exemplifies the Brazilian legislative process for granting individual pensions through federal statute during the early 1960s. As a specific act rather than a general law, it demonstrates how the Brazilian government addressed individual cases of widow support through dedicated legislation, reflecting the administrative and social welfare practices of the João Goulart presidency era. The law's explicit specification of a cruzeiro amount (CR$ 3,000.00) provides a concrete historical data point for understanding Brazil's currency and pension values in 1963. Its inclusion in the LexML Brazil system and availability on the official Planalto website ensures permanent public access to this legislative act, supporting transparency and legal research. The law also serves as a reference point for WikiProject Brazilian Laws, contributing to the systematic documentation of Brazil's legal heritage. As a statute, it represents one of the foundational building blocks of Brazil's statutory law framework, illustrating the principle that statutes are formal written documents that create law and remain in the public domain, ensuring that citizens have unrestricted access to the laws that govern them.

## Notable For
- **Specific Individual Grant:** Unlike general welfare laws, this statute uniquely grants a lifetime pension to one specific individual, Otilia Barreto Trindade, making it a private bill rather than public legislation.
- **Historical Currency Value:** Specifies the benefit in cruzeiros (CR$ 3,000.00), reflecting Brazil's pre-real currency system and providing historical economic context from 1963.
- **Presidential Promulgation:** Promulgated directly by President João Goulart on May 8, 1963, during a turbulent political period in Brazil's history.
- **LexML Cataloging:** Assigned a permanent LexML Brazil identifier (urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4217), ensuring its place in Brazil's official legal digital archive.
- **Wikimedia Documentation:** Specifically tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws, highlighting its role in the systematic cataloging of Brazilian legislation.
- **Public Domain Status:** As a statute, it is in the public domain in jurisdictions like the United States and France under the edict of government doctrine, ensuring free distribution.
- **Precise Legal Citation:** Uses the standard Brazilian legal citation format "Lei nº 4217/1963" for unambiguous reference.
- **Brasília Publication:** Published in Brasília, the capital city that had only become Brazil's administrative center three years earlier in 1960.

## Body

### Legislative Overview and Classification
Law No. 4217 of May 8, 1963 is a Brazilian federal statute that functions as a formal written document creating law through legislative enactment. As an instance of a statute, it belongs to the class of legal instruments that serve as manifestations of statutory law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws. The law is classified under the broader categories of written work, document, and rule, distinguishing it from abstract concepts of legislation while being caused by the legislative process itself. Its creation follows draft laws and results in statutory law that applies specifically to the jurisdiction of Brazil. The statute is composed of legal norms and represents a part of the larger legal act framework within Brazilian federal law.

### Content and Specific Provisions
The substantive content of Law No. 4217 is explicitly defined in its law digest: "CONCEDE PENSÃO VITALICIA DE CR 3.000,00 A OTILIA BARRETO TRINDADE, VIUVA DE INDALECIO TRINDADE." This translates to granting a lifetime pension of CR$ 3,000.00 (three thousand cruzeiros) to Otilia Barreto Trindade, identified as the widow of Indalecio Trindade. The main subject of the law is categorized as "Concessão" (Grant/Concession), indicating it is a granting act rather than a regulatory or prohibitive statute. The benefit type is specifically a lifetime pension (pensão vitalícia), providing ongoing financial support rather than a lump-sum payment. The monetary amount is denominated in cruzeiros, the currency in circulation in Brazil before the introduction of the real in 1994.

### Approval and Promulgation Process
The statute was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, representing the executive branch's role in the legislative process. It was promulgated on May 8, 1963, by President João Goulart, who served as the head of state and government at that time. The determination method for the law's enactment is explicitly identified as "promulgation," which is the formal act by which the president gives legal effect to a bill that has passed through the legislative process. This occurred during João Goulart's presidency, which lasted from 1961 to 1964, a period marked by political tension that would culminate in the 1964 military coup.

### Publication and Accessibility
Law No. 4217 was published in Brasília, the federal capital of Brazil. Brasília had officially become the capital on April 22, 1960, making this law part of the early legislative output from the new capital city. The official publication date of May 8, 1963, serves as the definitive date of the law's enactment. The full text of the law is publicly available at the URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4217.htm, hosted on the official website of the Presidency of Brazil. This ensures permanent public access to the legislative text. Additionally, the law is cataloged in the LexML Brazil system, which is the official legal markup language and identifier system for Brazilian legislation, under the unique identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4217.

### Legal Citation and Identification
The statute is formally cited as "Lei nº 4217/1963," following Brazilian legal citation conventions that combine the law number with the year of enactment. This citation format allows for precise referencing in legal documents, court decisions, and academic research. The law is described in Wikidata as a "Brazilian law," placing it within the broader category of Brazil's legislative output. It is included on the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a Wikimedia initiative dedicated to systematically documenting Brazilian legislation across Wikimedia projects. This inclusion ensures the law's metadata is maintained and improved by volunteer editors specializing in Brazilian legal content.

### Jurisdictional and Linguistic Context
Law No. 4217 applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil, meaning its legal effects are binding throughout the entire Brazilian territory. The law is written in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of Brazil and the language used for all federal legislation. As a federal statute, it operates within Brazil's federal system, which divides power between the federal government and the 26 states plus the Federal District. The law's application is nationwide, consistent with its nature as federal legislation rather than state or municipal law.

### Historical and Political Context
The law was enacted during the presidency of João Goulart, who served as the 24th President of Brazil. Goulart's presidency was characterized by progressive reforms and political instability, culminating in his removal from power in the 1964 coup. The enactment of individual pension grants through federal statute was a common practice in Brazilian legislative history, reflecting both the personalization of certain welfare benefits and the detailed nature of legislative acts during this period. The amount of CR$ 3,000.00 provides insight into the pension standards and currency valuation of mid-20th century Brazil, prior to the monetary reforms that would later address chronic inflation.

### Copyright and Public Domain Status
As a statute, Law No. 4217 falls under the public domain in multiple jurisdictions. In the United States, the edict of government doctrine establishes that official legal documents such as legislative enactments are not copyrightable. This doctrine applies to judicial opinions, administrative rulings, legislative enactments, and public ordinances at all levels of government. A similar public domain status applies in France. This ensures that the text of the law can be freely reproduced, distributed, and accessed by anyone without copyright restrictions, reinforcing principles of open government and the rule of law.

### Knowledge Organization and Authority Control
The concept of a statute, as exemplified by Law No. 4217, is extensively cataloged in global knowledge systems. Statutes are assigned Dewey Decimal classification numbers 342.057 and 348.02, though this specific law's individual classification is not provided in the source material. The broader statute concept holds Library of Congress Authority ID sh85127611, Bibliothèque nationale de France ID 120485802, and GND ID 4020660-9. While these identifiers refer to the general concept of statutes, Law No. 4217 itself is specifically identified through its LexML Brazil URN and its presence in the Planalto.gov.br legislative database. The law is also associated with Wikidata entity properties including P467, P17 (country), P1001 (applies to jurisdiction), P2567, P2568, P3148, P7588, P953, and P9681, which structure its relationships within the knowledge graph.

### Relationship to Brazilian Legal Framework
Law No. 4217 operates within Brazil's statutory law system, which is codified in the Constitution of Brazil (effective October 5, 1988, though this law predates the current constitution). The law is part of the federal legislation corpus that is managed by the National Congress of Brazil, consisting of the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies. The Supreme Federal Court (STF) serves as the highest judicial authority that would interpret such statutes. The law's enactment through presidential promulgation reflects the presidential system of government that Brazil maintained throughout its republican periods. As a statute, it is distinct from executive orders (decretos) and by-laws (regulamentos), though all are subclasses of statutory instruments. The law's specificity to one individual places it in the category of private legislation, contrasting with public laws that affect the general population.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4217)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=4217&ano=1963&data=08/05/1963&ato=e8dITSq50MVRVTcb6)
3. LexML Brasil