# Law No. 4254 of August 30, 1963

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105647884](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105647884)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-4254-of-august-30-1963

## Summary
**Law No. 4254 of August 30, 1963** (Portuguese: *Lei nº 4254, de 30 de agosto de 1963*) is a Brazilian federal statute enacted during the presidency of João Goulart. The law specifically authorizes the granting of a pension to the widow of Leopoldo Bernardes dos Santos, a former federal public servant. It serves as an example of a specific legislative act targeting individual social security benefits within the Brazilian legal system.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 4254, de 30 de agosto de 1963
- **Classification:** Statute (formal written document creating law)
- **Date of Enactment:** August 30, 1963
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Signed By:** João Goulart (President)
- **Jurisdiction:** Brazil
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 4254/1963
- **Primary Subject:** Special Pension (Pensão Especial)
- **Beneficiary:** Widow of Leopoldo Bernardes dos Santos (former federal public servant)
- **Lexml Brazil ID:** `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-08-30;4254`
- **Official URL:** Available at `planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4254.htm`
- **WikiProject:** WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs
**What is the specific purpose of Law No. 4254?**
The law was enacted to grant a special pension (Pensão Especial) to the widow of Leopoldo Bernardes dos Santos, who was identified as a former federal public servant. It functions as a specific legislative act conferring a benefit to a named individual.

**Who signed and promulgated Law No. 4254?**
The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and signed by President João Goulart on August 30, 1963.

**Where can the official text of this law be found?**
The law is available online at the official Planalto Palace website (`planalto.gov.br`) and is indexed under the identifier `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-08-30;4254` in the LexML Brazil database.

**Is Law No. 4254 subject to copyright?**
As a statute (an edict of government), it is generally in the public domain in Brazil and the United States. Legal texts and official government documents are not subject to copyright restrictions to ensure public accessibility.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 4254 of August 30, 1963, represents the exercise of sovereign legislative power in Brazil during the early 1960s, specifically under the administration of President João Goulart. It illustrates the capacity of the Brazilian state to utilize federal statutes for the administration of social welfare and administrative justice, such as the provision of pensions to families of former civil servants.

As a *statute*, it embodies the "manifestation of statutory law," serving as a concrete, written record of a legal rule enacted by the government. Its existence highlights the legal mechanisms available in 1963 for addressing specific administrative situations that required presidential and legislative attention, distinct from broader regulatory frameworks. Furthermore, its inclusion in the WikiProject Brazilian Laws and its indexing via LexML signify its enduring status as a valid historical and legal record within the Brazilian jurisdiction.

## Notable For
- **Individual Beneficiary:** Specifically names and provides for the widow of Leopoldo Bernardes dos Santos, distinguishing it from general pension laws.
- **Historical Context:** Enacted during the presidency of João Goulart, a period of significant political activity in Brazil prior to the 1964 military coup.
- **Legal Classification:** A clear example of a "statute" as defined by legal ontology: a formal written document enacted to create law.
- **Open Access:** As a government edict, it is part of the public domain, ensuring unrestricted access to its text.
- **Semantic Web Integration:** Possesses a structured Lexml ID and is part of WikiProject Brazilian Laws, facilitating machine-readable legal data.

## Body

### Enactment and Authority
Law No. 4254 was formally enacted on **August 30, 1963**, in **Brasília**, the federal capital of Brazil. The legal authority for this statute derives from the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. It was promulgated by **João Goulart**, who served as President at the time. The act of promulgation on this date solidified the law's validity within the Brazilian legal system.

### Content and Subject Matter
The substantive content of the law, as recorded in the law digest, is to "CONCEDE PENSÃO A VIUVA DO EX FUNCIONARIO PUBLICO FEDERAL LEOPOLDO BERNARDES DOS SANTOS" (Grant a pension to the widow of former federal public servant Leopoldo Bernardes dos Santos). Consequently, the **main subject** of the entity is classified as **Special Pension** (Pensão Especial).

This places the law within the domain of administrative and social security law, specifically dealing with the allocation of public funds for the support of the dependents of deceased civil servants. Unlike broad regulatory statutes, this is an individual legislative act.

### Jurisdiction and Classification
The entity is an **instance of a statute**, defined as a formal written document that creates law. It applies to the jurisdiction of **Brazil** and is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**. As a legal instrument, it is classified as a "legal term or legal concept" and a "rule," acting as a manifestation of statutory law.

It is cataloged under the **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, indicating its relevance to collaborative efforts to document Brazilian legislation. The legal citation for reference is **Lei nº 4254/1963**.

### Identification and Access
The law is indexed in the **LexML Brazil** network, a standard for legal information, with the unique identifier: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-08-30;4254`. The full text is accessible to the public via the official government portal of the Presidency of the Republic at:
`https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4254.htm`

This accessibility aligns with the principle that statutes are **public domain** documents (edict of government doctrine), ensuring that citizens have unrestrained access to the laws they must follow.

### Contextual Origin: Brazil
The law originates from **Brazil**, the largest country in South America. At the time of the law's enactment in 1963, Brazil was operating under the democratic framework established prior to the 1964 coup d'état. The capital, Brasília (where the law was published), had been established in 1960. The legal system is based on Civil Law, where statutes (Leis) are the primary source of law, created through the legislative process and promulgated by the Executive branch.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-08-30;4254)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=4254&ano=1963&data=30/08/1963&ato=38aITWq50MVRVTf43)
3. LexML Brasil