# Law No. 4977 of May 12, 1966 > Brazilian law **Wikidata**: [Q105647592](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105647592) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_No._49) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-4977-of-may-12-1966 ## Summary Law No. 4977 of May 12, 1966 (Lei nº 4977, de 12 de maio de 1966) is a Brazilian federal statute enacted during the presidency of Castelo Branco. It authorizes a special budgetary adjustment ("Crédito Especial") for the Brazilian military branches—the Ministry of the Navy, the Brazilian Army, and the Ministry of Aeronautics. The law was published in Brasília and applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil. ## Key Facts - **Full Title:** Lei nº 4977, de 12 de maio de 1966 - **Also Known As:** Lei nº 4977/1966 - **Type of Entity:** Statute (formal written document that creates law) - **Date of Enactment:** May 12, 1966 - **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil (promulgated by President Castelo Branco) - **Jurisdiction:** Brazil - **Main Subject:** Special Budgetary Adjustment (Crédito Especial) - **Beneficiary Agencies:** - Ministry of the Navy of Brazil (Ministerio Da Marinha - Mm) - Brazilian Army (Ministerio Do Exercito - Me) - Ministry of Aeronautics of Brazil (Ministerio Da Aeronautica - Maer) - **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese - **Place of Publication:** Brasília - **Official Identifier (LexML Brazil):** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1966-05-12;4977 - **Available At:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4977.htm - **Wikipedia Coverage:** Available in Arabic and English (Wikipedia title: "Law No. 49") - **WikiProject Affiliation:** On focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws ## FAQs **What is the primary purpose of Law No. 4977?** The law's main subject is a "special budgetary adjustment" (Crédito Especial), which provides specific funding allocations to the Ministry of the Navy, the Brazilian Army, and the Ministry of Aeronautics. **Who approved and promulgated this law?** The statute was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and was promulgated by President Castelo Branco on May 12, 1966. **Where can the full text of the law be accessed?** The official text is available at the Planalto government website via the URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4977.htm and is identified by the LexML Brazil ID `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1966-05-12;4977`. ## Why It Matters Law No. 4977 of May 12, 1966, is significant as an example of specific federal legislation enacted during Brazil's military dictatorship period, directly supporting the three branches of the armed forces—the Navy, Army, and Aeronautics—through a special budgetary adjustment. It illustrates the mechanism of "Crédito Especial," a budgetary tool used by the Brazilian government to allocate funds outside the ordinary budget process. As a formal statute, it represents the written manifestation of statutory law applicable to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil. ## Notable For - **Military Funding Legislation:** Specifically authorizes special budgetary credits for all three branches of the Brazilian military (Navy, Army, Aeronautics). - **Historical Context:** Enacted in 1966 during the early years of the Brazilian military dictatorship under President Castelo Branco. - **Budgetary Mechanism:** Utilizes the "Crédito Especial" (Special Credit) mechanism for government funding. - **Official Documentation:** Uniquely identified by the LexML Brazil system with the URN `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1966-05-12;4977`. ## Body ### Legislative Classification and Identification Law No. 4977 is formally classified as a **statute**, which is a formal written document that creates law. As an instance of statutory law, it serves as a concrete manifestation of legal rules enacted by the government. The law is cited as **Lei nº 4977/1966** and is also known by its full Portuguese title "Lei nº 4977, de 12 de maio de 1966." It is tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws and has sitelinks in two Wikipedia language editions (Arabic and English). ### Approval and Promulgation The statute was approved by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. It was promulgated on **May 12, 1966**, by **Castelo Branco**, who served as the President of Brazil at that time. The date of publication coincides with the promulgation date. The law applies to the jurisdiction of **Brazil** and was published in the capital city of **Brasília**. ### Subject Matter and Beneficiaries The primary function of Law No. 4977 is to authorize a **special budgetary adjustment**, referred to in Portuguese as "Crédito Especial." This legal instrument directs resources specifically to the following entities: - **Ministry of the Navy of Brazil** (Ministerio Da Marinha - Mm) - **Brazilian Army** (Ministerio Do Exercito - Me) - **Ministry of Aeronautics of Brazil** (Ministerio Da Aeronautica - Maer) These three entities are listed as the main subjects of the law, indicating that the special budgetary allocation was intended for the unified support of the Brazilian armed forces. ### Official Access and Identifiers The law is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**. The official text is accessible online through the Brazilian government's Planalto website at the URL `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4977.htm`. For the purposes of legal and digital cataloging, it is assigned the **LexML Brazil ID**: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1966-05-12;4977`. LexML is a standard for identifying legal documents in Brazil. ### Context: The Concept of a Statute As an instance of a "statute," Law No. 4977 belongs to a subclass of "written work," "document," and "rule." Statutes are the formal, physical, or digital manifestations of statutory law. They are distinct from general legal concepts as they represent the actual enacted text. In the context of knowledge organization, a statute like this is considered a foundational legal term and is equivalent to `https://schema.org/Legislation`. Statutes are generally in the public domain in the United States and France, as they are official legal documents not subject to copyright under the "edict of government doctrine." ## References 1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1966-05-12;4977) 2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=4977&ano=1966&data=12/05/1966&ato=a35QTQE9EMZRVT5af)