# Law No. 448 of October 20, 1948

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105647794](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105647794)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-448-of-october-20-1948

## Summary
Law No. 448 of October 20, 1948 is a Brazilian statute that authorized the Ministry of Agriculture to open supplementary credit for the payment of teaching gratuities. Officially promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil on October 20, 1948, in Rio de Janeiro, it functions as a formal legal instrument within Brazilian jurisdiction. The law is identified by its LexML Brazil ID `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-20;448`.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 448, de 20 de outubro de 1948
- **Alternative Name:** Lei nº 448/1948
- **Date of Promulgation:** October 20, 1948
- **Issuing Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Jurisdiction:** Brazil
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Legal Classification:** Statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **Subject Matter:** Supplementary credit, Ministry of Agriculture, budget appropriation, economic reinforcement
- **Law Digest Summary:** Authorizes the opening, by the Ministry of Agriculture, of supplementary credit for payment of teaching gratuity (gratificação de magistério)
- **LexML Brazil ID:** `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-20;448`
- **Wikidata Inclusion:** Listed on WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Type of Legal Instrument:** Statute

## FAQs
**What is the purpose of Law No. 448 of October 20, 1948?**
The law authorizes the Ministry of Agriculture to open supplementary credit specifically to fund the payment of teaching gratuities (gratificação de magistério). It serves as a budgetary measure to allocate additional financial resources within the agricultural sector's educational framework.

**Who approved and enacted this law?**
The law was promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil on October 20, 1948. This act of promulgation gave it legal force within Brazilian jurisdiction.

**Where was this law published and in what language?**
The law was published in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is written in Brazilian Portuguese. Its official citation is "Lei nº 448/1948."

**How is this law formally identified and classified?**
It is classified as a statute—a formal written document that creates law—and is tracked under the LexML Brazil identification system with the unique URN `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-20;448`. It is also part of the WikiProject Brazilian Laws on Wikidata.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 448 of October 20, 1948 matters as a specific example of post-World War II Brazilian legislative action focused on internal administrative and budgetary management. By authorizing supplementary credit for the Ministry of Agriculture, the law directly addressed the financial needs of the agricultural sector's educational personnel, ensuring that teaching gratuities could be paid. This reflects the broader function of statutes as tools for governments to allocate resources, manage public funds, and formalize obligations. As a formal legal instrument, it demonstrates how Brazilian federal authority uses statutory law to implement policy, enforce budget appropriations, and reinforce economic commitments within specific government ministries. Its existence also highlights the role of legal documentation in maintaining transparency and accountability in public spending.

## Notable For
- **Specific Budgetary Function:** Targets supplementary credit for the Ministry of Agriculture, a focused financial mechanism rather than broad legislation.
- **Educational Support:** Directly funds teaching gratuities, linking agricultural policy with educational compensation.
- **Formal Legal Record:** Serves as a concrete manifestation of statutory law in Brazil, exemplifying the "statute" classification.
- **LexML Integration:** One of the many Brazilian laws cataloged in the LexML system with a unique URN identifier.
- **Historical Context:** Enacted in 1948, representing the administrative priorities of Brazil in the immediate post-war period.

## Body

### Legislative Classification and Nature
Law No. 448 of October 20, 1948 is formally classified as a **statute**. In legal terminology, a statute is a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws. This law functions as the physical or formal expression of a legal rule, serving as a manifestation of statutory law. It is an instance of a "legal term or legal concept" and a subclass of "written work," "document," and "rule."

### Subject Matter and Core Provisions
The law's primary focus is the **authorization of supplementary credit** (crédito suplementar) to be opened by the **Ministry of Agriculture** (Ministério da Agricultura). The specific purpose of this credit is the **payment of teaching gratuities** (gratificação de magistério). This connects the legislation to several key subjects:
- **Supplementary Credit (Credito Suplementar):** Additional budgetary allocation beyond the original budget.
- **Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil:** The federal body responsible for executing the law's provisions.
- **Budget Appropriation (Dotação Orçamentaria):** The legal designation of funds for specific purposes.
- **Reinforcement (Reforço):** Economic strengthening through financial supplementation.

### Jurisdiction and Authority
The law applies to the jurisdiction of **Brazil** and was enacted by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The promulgation occurred on **October 20, 1948**, establishing the law's legal force from that date forward. The place of publication was **Rio de Janeiro**, which served as Brazil's federal capital until 1960.

### Language and Formal Identification
The text of the law is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil. Its full formal title is "Lei nº 448, de 20 de outubro de 1948." It is also legally cited as **Lei nº 448/1948**.

### Integration into Legal Information Systems
The law is cataloged in the **LexML Brazil** system, a semantic web infrastructure for legal documents, with the unique identifier:
- **LexML Brazil ID:** `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-20;448`

This URN provides a standardized, machine-readable reference for the law, facilitating access and citation in digital legal databases. The law is also included in **WikiProject Brazilian Laws** on Wikidata, indicating its relevance to structured knowledge management and legal data projects.

### Relationship to Broader Legal Concepts
As a statute, Law No. 448 shares characteristics with other legal instruments:
- **Copyright Status:** Like all statutes, it is in the public domain (in jurisdictions such as the United States and France), as it is an official government document.
- **Ontological Status:** It is equivalent to `https://schema.org/Legislation` in structured data contexts.
- **Library Classification:** Statutes are cataloged under Dewey Decimal 342.057 and 348.02.

### Historical and Administrative Context
Enacted in 1948, this law reflects the administrative priorities of the Brazilian government during the early years of the democratic period following the end of the Estado Novo dictatorship in 1945. By focusing on the Ministry of Agriculture and educational gratuities, it highlights the importance of the agricultural sector to Brazil's economy and the government's role in supporting education within that sector.

### References and Source Documentation
The information about this law is supported by references to the official LexML Brazil portal (`https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-20;448`), accessed on January 28, 2021, and April 6, 2021. The law digest is derived from authoritative legal databases (referenced April 10, 2021). These sources confirm the law's title, subject matter, jurisdiction, and formal properties.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-10-20;448)
2. LexML Brasil