# Law No. 443 of October 19, 1948

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105649399](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105649399)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-443-of-october-19-1948

## Summary
**Law No. 443 of October 19, 1948** is a Brazilian statute that authorized the Ministry of Agriculture to open a supplementary credit to fund the payment of teaching staff gratuities. Enacted on October 19, 1948, this law represents a formal legal instrument issued by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, operating within the jurisdiction of Brazil and published in Rio de Janeiro. It is a specific example of a **statute**, a formal written document that creates law, and is classified as an official act under Brazilian legal frameworks.

## Key Facts
- **Title**: Law No. 443 of October 19, 1948 (Portuguese: *Lei nº 443, de 19 de outubro de 1948*).
- **Date of Enactment**: October 19, 1948.
- **Country**: Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil).
- **Jurisdiction**: Applies exclusively to Brazil.
- **Language**: Brazilian Portuguese.
- **Place of Publication**: Rio de Janeiro (then the capital of Brazil).
- **Approving Authority**: Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil (promulgated on October 19, 1948).
- **Legal Classification**: Instance of a **statute** (formal written document creating law, including acts, executive orders, and by-laws).
- **Legal Citation**: *Lei nº 443/1948*.
- **LexML Brazil Identifier**: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-19;443`.
- **Main Subject**:
  - Authorization for the Ministry of Agriculture (*Ministério da Agricultura*) to open a **supplementary credit** (*Crédito Suplementar*).
  - Payment of **teaching staff gratuities** (*Gratificação de Magistério*).
- **Digest/Summary**: *"AUTORIZA A ABERTURA, PELO MINISTERIO DA AGRICULTURA, DE CREDITO SUPLEMENTAR PARA PAGAMENTO DE GRATIFICAÇÃO DE MAGISTERIO."* ("Authorizes the opening, by the Ministry of Agriculture, of supplementary credit for the payment of teaching staff gratuities.").
- **Instance Of**:
  - **Statute** (formal legal document creating law).
  - **Brazilian Law** (national legislation).
- **Related Entities**:
  - **Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil** (institution responsible for executing the law).
  - **Supplementary Credit** (financial mechanism authorized by the law).
  - **Teaching Staff Gratuities** (specific purpose of the funds).
- **Copyright Status**: Public domain in Brazil (as an official legal document).
- **Equivalent Schema.org Class**: `https://schema.org/Legislation`.
- **Wikidata Description**: "Brazilian law."

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## FAQs

**What is the purpose of Law No. 443 of October 19, 1948?**
Law No. 443 authorized the Ministry of Agriculture to open a supplementary credit specifically to fund the payment of gratuities for teaching staff. It served as a financial mechanism to ensure compensation for educators under the ministry’s purview.

**Who issued Law No. 443, and under what authority?**
The law was issued and promulgated by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil** on October 19, 1948. As a statute, it derives its authority from the Brazilian constitutional framework governing legislative acts.

**Is Law No. 443 still in effect today?**
The source material does not specify whether the law remains active. However, as a 1948 statute, it may have been superseded, amended, or repealed by subsequent legislation. Its primary historical role was to address a specific financial need at the time of enactment.

**What type of legal document is Law No. 443?**
Law No. 443 is a **statute**, a formal written document that creates law. It falls under the broader category of **acts** (legislative enactments) and is classified as a **rule** and **written work** in legal taxonomies. It is equivalent to the `https://schema.org/Legislation` class in structured data frameworks.

**How does Law No. 443 relate to the Ministry of Agriculture?**
The law directly authorizes the **Ministry of Agriculture** to open a supplementary credit, making it the executing body responsible for disbursing funds for teaching staff gratuities as specified in the statute.

**What is a "supplementary credit" in this context?**
A **supplementary credit** refers to an additional allocation of funds beyond the regular budget, authorized by law to cover specific expenses. In this case, Law No. 443 enabled the Ministry of Agriculture to access extra funds to pay teaching staff gratuities.

**Why was the payment of teaching staff gratuities important in 1948?**
The law reflects a period when Brazil was investing in agricultural education and institutional capacity-building. Gratuities for teaching staff may have been a form of incentive or compensation to attract or retain educators, particularly in sectors critical to national development, such as agriculture.

**How was Law No. 443 published and disseminated?**
The law was published in **Rio de Janeiro**, which was the capital of Brazil at the time. As an official legal document, it would have been disseminated through government gazettes, official records, and legal databases like LexML Brazil, where its identifier (`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-19;443`) is recorded.

**Is Law No. 443 copyrighted?**
No. Like all statutes in Brazil, Law No. 443 is in the **public domain**. This aligns with the "edict of government doctrine," which exempts official legal documents from copyright restrictions to ensure public accessibility.

**What is the significance of the LexML identifier for this law?**
The **LexML identifier** (`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-19;443`) is a unique, persistent reference for the law within Brazil’s legal documentation system. It ensures precise citation and retrieval of the statute in legal databases, government records, and academic research.

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## Why It Matters
Law No. 443 of October 19, 1948 matters as a **microcosm of Brazil’s mid-20th-century legal and administrative priorities**, particularly in the realm of public finance and education funding. While seemingly narrow in scope, the law exemplifies how statutes function as **tangible instruments of governance**, translating policy decisions into actionable legal directives. Its significance can be understood through several lenses:

1. **Legal and Administrative Precedent**:
   The law demonstrates how Brazilian legislation addressed **budgetary shortfalls** and **compensation gaps** through targeted financial authorizations. It reflects a broader pattern of using statutes to allocate resources for specific public sector needs, a practice that remains central to modern governance.

2. **Role of the Ministry of Agriculture**:
   By authorizing the Ministry of Agriculture to open a supplementary credit, the law underscores the ministry’s historical role in **education and human capital development**, particularly in agricultural sciences. This aligns with Brazil’s long-term economic strategy, which has prioritized agriculture as a cornerstone of its development model.

3. **Public Sector Compensation**:
   The law’s focus on **teaching staff gratuities** highlights the government’s recognition of the need to incentivize educators, a group critical to national development. This reflects broader efforts to professionalize and retain talent in key sectors, a challenge that persists in many emerging economies.

4. **Statutory Law in Practice**:
   As an instance of a **statute**, Law No. 443 embodies the formal, written manifestation of Brazilian statutory law. It serves as a concrete example of how abstract legal concepts (e.g., "legislation," "rule") are operationalized through specific, enforceable documents. This distinction is crucial for legal scholars, policymakers, and administrators who rely on statutes as the definitive source of legal authority.

5. **Historical Context**:
   Enacted in 1948, the law provides insight into Brazil’s post-World War II priorities. The late 1940s were a period of reconstruction and modernization for many nations, and Brazil’s focus on agricultural education and public sector compensation reflects its efforts to build institutional capacity during this era.

6. **Public Accessibility and Transparency**:
   The law’s inclusion in **LexML Brazil** and its public domain status ensure that citizens, researchers, and legal professionals can access it without restrictions. This aligns with democratic principles of transparency and the rule of law, reinforcing the idea that laws belong to the public.

7. **Comparative Legal Frameworks**:
   Law No. 443 serves as a case study for how **supplementary credits** and **targeted funding mechanisms** are employed in legal systems globally. Similar statutes exist in other jurisdictions, but the specificity of this law—tying a financial authorization to a particular ministry and purpose—offers a clear example of how governments address niche administrative needs.

8. **Foundation for Future Legislation**:
   While the law itself may no longer be active, it contributes to the **legal and bureaucratic infrastructure** that enables modern Brazilian governance. Subsequent laws addressing public sector compensation, education funding, or ministry-specific budgets likely build on the precedents set by statutes like Law No. 443.

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## Notable For
- **Targeted Financial Authorization**: One of the few statutes explicitly authorizing a **supplementary credit** for a specific ministry (Agriculture) and purpose (teaching staff gratuities), demonstrating precision in legislative drafting.
- **Ministry-Specific Legislation**: Directly involves the **Ministry of Agriculture**, highlighting its dual role in both agricultural policy and education—a unique intersection in Brazil’s administrative history.
- **Public Domain Status**: As an official legal document, it is **not subject to copyright**, ensuring unrestricted public access in alignment with Brazil’s commitment to legal transparency.
- **LexML Integration**: Assigned a **persistent identifier** (`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-19;443`) in Brazil’s official legal database, facilitating precise citation and retrieval.
- **Historical Administrative Tool**: Serves as a historical example of how governments use **statutes to address immediate financial needs**, particularly in sectors like education where compensation gaps may arise.
- **Equivalence to Schema.org Legislation**: Recognized as an equivalent class to `https://schema.org/Legislation`, reflecting its alignment with global standards for structured legal data.
- **Brazilian Legal Taxonomy**: Classified as an instance of a **statute**, reinforcing its role within Brazil’s broader legal framework, which distinguishes between acts, executive orders, and by-laws.
- **Connection to Broader Legal Concepts**: While narrow in scope, the law is part of the **legal norm** ecosystem, illustrating how specific statutes contribute to the larger body of statutory law.
- **Documentation of Government Priorities**: Provides a snapshot of Brazil’s post-war focus on **agricultural education and public sector compensation**, offering insights into the country’s developmental strategies.
- **Absence of Amendments**: The source material does not mention amendments, suggesting it may have been a **standalone, time-bound measure** rather than an ongoing legislative framework.

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## Body

### **Legal Classification and Definition**
Law No. 443 of October 19, 1948 is a **statute**, a formal written document that creates law. In legal taxonomies, it is classified as:
- An **instance of a statute** (a subclass of "written work," "document," and "rule").
- A **Brazilian law**, applying exclusively to the jurisdiction of Brazil.
- A **manifestation of statutory law**, distinct from broader concepts like "legislation" or "legal act" but serving as their concrete expression.

The law’s **legal citation** (*Lei nº 443/1948*) follows Brazil’s standardized nomenclature for federal statutes, where the number (443) indicates its sequence in the year’s legislative output, and the date (October 19, 1948) marks its promulgation.

### **Purpose and Scope**
The law’s **digest** succinctly states its purpose:
> *"AUTORIZA A ABERTURA, PELO MINISTERIO DA AGRICULTURA, DE CREDITO SUPLEMENTAR PARA PAGAMENTO DE GRATIFICAÇÃO DE MAGISTERIO."*
> ("Authorizes the opening, by the Ministry of Agriculture, of supplementary credit for the payment of teaching staff gratuities.")

Key components of its scope include:
- **Supplementary Credit**: A financial mechanism allowing the Ministry of Agriculture to access additional funds beyond its regular budget.
- **Teaching Staff Gratuities**: The specific use of the funds, likely referring to bonuses, incentives, or arrears owed to educators under the ministry’s purview.
- **Ministry of Agriculture**: The designated executing body, responsible for implementing the law’s provisions.

The law does not establish a new policy but **operationalizes an existing need**—ensuring compensation for teaching staff—through a targeted financial authorization.

### **Historical and Administrative Context**
#### **Brazil in 1948**
- **Political Context**: Brazil was a **federal republic** under the 1946 Constitution, having transitioned from the Vargas dictatorship (1930–1945) to a democratic government. The late 1940s were marked by efforts to rebuild institutions and modernize the economy.
- **Economic Context**: The country was investing in **agricultural development** and **education**, sectors critical to its post-war growth. The Ministry of Agriculture played a central role in both areas, reflecting the government’s prioritization of rural and educational infrastructure.
- **Capital**: Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil until 1960, explaining why the law was **published there**.

#### **Role of the Ministry of Agriculture**
The Ministry of Agriculture (*Ministério da Agricultura*) was not only responsible for agricultural policy but also **education and research** in related fields. This dual mandate explains why the law authorizes funds for **teaching staff gratuities**—likely referring to educators in agricultural schools, research institutions, or extension programs.

#### **Supplementary Credits in Brazilian Law**
Supplementary credits are a **common fiscal tool** in Brazilian legislation, used to:
- Address **budgetary shortfalls** without requiring a full legislative overhaul.
- Fund **specific, time-sensitive needs**, such as compensation arrears or emergency expenditures.
- Provide **flexibility** to ministries while maintaining legislative oversight.

Law No. 443 exemplifies this tool, demonstrating how statutes can serve as **administrative instruments** to resolve immediate financial challenges.

### **Legal and Technical Properties**
#### **Structured Metadata (Wikidata Properties)**
The law is documented with the following structured properties, which facilitate its integration into legal databases and knowledge graphs:
- **Title**: *Lei nº 443, de 19 de outubro de 1948*.
- **Country**: Brazil.
- **Law Digest**: Summary of the law’s purpose (as quoted above).
- **Approved By**: Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil (with qualifiers specifying the date of promulgation and determination method).
- **Instance Of**: Statute.
- **Main Subject**:
  - Supplementary Credit (*Crédito Suplementar*).
  - Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil (*Ministério da Agricultura*).
  - Teaching Staff Gratuities (*Gratificação de Magistério*).
  - Payment (*Pagamento*).
- **LexML Brazil ID**: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-19;443` (a persistent identifier for legal citation).
- **Publication Date**: October 19, 1948 (inferred from sourcing circumstances).
- **Place of Publication**: Rio de Janeiro.
- **Applies to Jurisdiction**: Brazil.
- **Language of Work**: Brazilian Portuguese.
- **Legal Citation**: *Lei nº 443/1948*.

#### **Equivalence and Classification**
- **Schema.org Equivalence**: The law is an **equivalent class** to `https://schema.org/Legislation`, a global standard for modeling legal documents in structured data.
- **Legal Taxonomy**: As a **statute**, it is a subclass of:
  - **Written Work** (a formal document).
  - **Document** (a record of information).
  - **Rule** (a binding legal directive).
  - **Legal Norm** (a component of statutory law).

### **Connected Entities and Relationships**
Law No. 443 interacts with several key entities, each playing a role in its implementation or classification:

1. **Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil**:
   - The **executing body** responsible for opening the supplementary credit and disbursing funds.
   - Historically involved in **agricultural education**, explaining its role in funding teaching staff gratuities.

2. **Supplementary Credit**:
   - A **financial mechanism** authorized by the law, distinct from regular budgetary allocations.
   - Reflects a **targeted fiscal policy** to address specific compensation needs.

3. **Teaching Staff Gratuities**:
   - The **purpose of the funds**, likely referring to bonuses, incentives, or arrears for educators.
   - May have applied to **agricultural schools, research institutions, or extension programs** under the ministry.

4. **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**:
   - The **approving authority** that promulgated the law, representing the executive branch’s role in enacting statutes.

5. **Statute (Legal Concept)**:
   - The **broader category** to which Law No. 443 belongs, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws.
   - Defined as a **formal written document creating law**, with "legal norm" as one of its components.

### **Publication and Dissemination**
- **Place of Publication**: Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil at the time.
- **Official Record**: The law would have been published in the **Diário Oficial da União** (Federal Official Gazette), Brazil’s official journal for legal notices.
- **Digital Preservation**: The law is preserved in **LexML Brazil**, a digital repository for Brazilian legal documents, where it is assigned the identifier `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-19;443`. This ensures its **persistent citation** in legal research and administrative records.

### **Legal and Copyright Status**
- **Public Domain**: As an official legal document, Law No. 443 is **not subject to copyright** under Brazil’s legal framework. This aligns with the **"edict of government doctrine"**, which exempts statutes, judicial opinions, and other official legal texts from copyright restrictions to ensure public accessibility.
- **Transparency**: The law’s public domain status reinforces Brazil’s commitment to **open governance**, allowing citizens, researchers, and legal professionals to access it without barriers.

### **Comparative Legal Perspective**
Law No. 443 can be compared to similar statutes in other jurisdictions that:
- Authorize **supplementary credits** for specific ministries or purposes.
- Address **compensation gaps** in public sector education or research.
- Serve as **targeted fiscal tools** to resolve immediate administrative needs.

However, its **precision**—tying a financial authorization to a single ministry and a specific type of expenditure—makes it a **distinct example** of how statutes can function as **administrative instruments** rather than broad policy frameworks.

### **Potential Impact and Legacy**
While the law’s immediate impact was **narrow**, its legacy lies in:
1. **Administrative Precedent**: Demonstrating how **supplementary credits** can be used to address compensation or funding gaps in the public sector.
2. **Ministry-Specific Funding**: Highlighting the **Ministry of Agriculture’s dual role** in agricultural policy and education, a model that may have influenced later legislation.
3. **Legal Documentation**: Serving as a **case study** for how statutes are drafted, published, and preserved in Brazil’s legal system.
4. **Historical Insight**: Offering a snapshot of Brazil’s **post-war priorities**, particularly in agricultural education and public sector compensation.

### **Related Legal Concepts**
Law No. 443 intersects with several broader legal concepts:
- **Statutory Law**: The law is a **manifestation of statutory law**, the body of written laws enacted by legislatures.
- **Supplementary Appropriations**: A fiscal tool used globally to address budgetary shortfalls, often requiring legislative approval.
- **Public Sector Compensation**: Reflects broader challenges in funding education and retaining talent in government institutions.
- **Ministry-Specific Legislation**: Illustrates how statutes can be tailored to the needs of specific government agencies.

### **Research and Academic Relevance**
For researchers, Law No. 443 is valuable for:
- Studying **Brazilian legal drafting** and the structure of statutes.
- Analyzing **post-war fiscal policies** and their implementation through targeted legislation.
- Exploring the **role of the Ministry of Agriculture** in education and research funding.
- Understanding **supplementary credits** as a tool for public sector finance.

Its inclusion in **LexML Brazil** and structured data frameworks (e.g., Wikidata, Schema.org) ensures it remains accessible for **legal, historical, and administrative research**.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-19;443)
2. LexML Brasil