# Law No. 581 of December 22, 1948

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105647723](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105647723)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-581-of-december-22-1948

## Summary
Law No. 581 of December 22, 1948 is a Brazilian federal statute that authorizes the Executive Branch to grant a special pension to Belmira Botelho de Arruda Medeiros, the widow of Antonio Medeiros. Enacted by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and published in Rio de Janeiro, this legislation serves as an individualized legal instrument within the Brazilian legal system.

## Key Facts
- **Full Title:** Lei nº 581, de 22 de dezembro de 1948
- **Date of Promulgation:** December 22, 1948
- **Enacting Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- **Jurisdiction:** Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 581/1948
- **Instance Classification:** Statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-12-22;581
- **Digest Summary:** Authorizes the Executive Branch to grant a special pension to Belmira Botelho de Arruda Medeiros, widow of Antonio Medeiros
- **Subject Areas:** Special Pension (Pensão Especial), Grant/Concession (Concessão)
- **Wikimedia Project:** Listed on WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs

**What is the purpose of Law No. 581 of December 22, 1948?**
The law authorizes the Brazilian Executive Branch to grant a special pension to Belmira Botelho de Arruda Medeiros, identified as the widow of Antonio Medeiros. It functions as an individualized legal act within the broader framework of Brazilian statutory law.

**Who approved and promulgated this legislation?**
The statute was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil on December 22, 1948. The promulgation date is recorded as the same day.

**Where was this law published and in what language?**
The law was published in Rio de Janeiro, which served as the federal capital of Brazil at the time. The official text is in Brazilian Portuguese.

**How is this law classified within the Brazilian legal system?**
It is classified as a "statute" (statute), defined as a formal written document that creates law. It applies specifically to the jurisdiction of Brazil and is cataloged under the LexML Brazil system with the identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-12-22;581.

**What are the main subjects addressed by this legislation?**
The law addresses two primary subjects as stated in its text: "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension) and "Concessão" (Grant/Concession), both relating to the authorization of benefits for the named individual.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 581 of December 22, 1948 matters as a concrete example of how the Brazilian federal government creates specific, individualized legal instruments to address particular administrative or pension-related cases. As a statute formally enacted by the Presidency, it demonstrates the mechanism through which the Executive Branch is authorized to grant benefits—in this instance, a special pension to a named widow. The law is part of the broader Brazilian legal framework cataloged in the LexML Brazil system and represents the manifestation of statutory law as both a written work and a legal norm. Its inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws underscores its role in the systematic documentation and accessibility of Brazilian federal legislation.

## Notable For
- **Specific Beneficiary Legislation:** Names an individual recipient (Belmira Botelho de Arruda Medeiros) directly within its digest, making it a targeted legal instrument rather than general legislation.
- **Executive Authorization:** Functions explicitly to authorize the Executive Branch to act, illustrating the separation of powers in administrative grant processes.
- **LexML Integration:** Assigned the standardized identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-12-22;581, reflecting Brazil's modern efforts to catalog and make accessible its legal corpus.
- **Historical Capital Context:** Published in Rio de Janeiro, reflecting the administrative center of Brazil prior to the relocation to Brasília in 1960.
- **Statutory Classification:** Exemplifies the definition of a statute as a "formal written document that creates law," including acts and legal norms, within the Brazilian legal tradition.

## Body

### Legislative Identity and Official Designation
Law No. 581 of December 22, 1948, officially titled "Lei nº 581, de 22 de dezembro de 1948," is a federal statute of the Federative Republic of Brazil. It carries the legal citation "Lei nº 581/1948" and is uniquely identified in the LexML Brazil system by the URN (Uniform Resource Name) `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-12-22;581`. This identifier ensures precise reference and retrieval within Brazil's digital legal infrastructure. The law is classified as an instance of a "statute," defined broadly as a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws.

### Enactment and Authority
The statute was promulgated on December 22, 1948, by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The approval and promulgation are recorded as occurring on the same date. This act by the Presidency represents the formal exercise of governmental authority to create law, consistent with the definition of a statute as a manifestation of statutory law caused by legislation or a legal act. The law applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil, operating within the country's federal legal system.

### Subject Matter and Beneficiary
The law's core purpose is articulated in its digest: "AUTORIZA O PODER EXECUTIVO A CONCEDER PENSÃO ESPECIAL A BELMIRA BOTELHO DE ARRUDA MEDEIROS, VIUVA DE ANTONIO MEDEIROS" (Authorizes the Executive Branch to Grant Special Pension to Belmira Botelho de Arruda Medeiros, Widow of Antonio Medeiros). The main subjects of the legislation are identified as "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension) and "Concessão" (Grant/Concession). This makes the statute an individualized legal instrument, targeting a specific named individual rather than establishing broad regulatory frameworks.

### Publication and Language
The official publication of Law No. 581 occurred in Rio de Janeiro, which was the federal capital of Brazil at the time (the capital later moved to Brasília on April 22, 1960). The language of the work is Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of Brazil. The publication date is noted as December 22, 1948, with sourcing circumstances indicating this date was inferred from the promulgation information.

### Context within Brazilian Statutory Law
As a statute, Law No. 581 of 1948 fits within the broader class of "written work," "document," and "rule." It is composed of legal norms and is part of the wider concepts of "law" and "legal act." In the context of Brazilian legal history, it represents one of thousands of federal statutes enacted by the national government. Brazil, which declared independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822, operates as a federal republic with a civil law tradition where statutes serve as primary sources of law. The country's current constitution, effective October 5, 1988, provides the framework within which such statutes operate.

### Integration with Legal Knowledge Systems
The law is indexed within modern semantic web and knowledge management systems. Its LexML Brazil identifier allows for structured citation and linking. The statute is also associated with WikiProject Brazilian Laws, indicating its inclusion in efforts to document and organize Brazilian legislation within collaborative knowledge platforms. This reflects broader trends in making legal texts accessible and machine-readable, aligning with concepts like `https://schema.org/Legislation` for structured data on the web.

### Related Legal and Political Framework
The enactment of this law occurred during a period of Brazilian history following the end of the Estado Novo dictatorship (1937–1945) and during the democratic period of the Fourth Brazilian Republic (1946–1964). The President of Brazil in December 1948 was Eurico Gaspar Dutra, who served from 1946 to 1951, though the specific promulgation authority is generically attributed to the Presidency in the source data. The law operates within Brazil's complex federal system, which includes 26 states and one Federal District, though as a federal statute, it applies nationally.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1948-12-22;581)
2. LexML Brasil