# Law No. 919 of November 14, 1949

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105647743](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105647743)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-919-of-november-14-1949

## Summary

Law No. 919 of November 14, 1949 (Lei nº 919/1949) is a Brazilian federal statute that grants a special pension (pensão especial) to Leopoldina Bentes Pinheiro. Promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and published in Rio de Janeiro, it is classified as an official statute within the Brazilian legal system and applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil.

## Key Facts

- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 919/1949
- **Full Title:** Lei nº 919, de 14 de novembro de 1949
- **Enactment Date:** November 14, 1949
- **Country:** Brazil
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to Brazil
- **Document Type:** Statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Promulgation Method:** Promulgation
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Law Digest Summary:** "CONCEDE PENSÃO ESPECIAL A LEOPOLDINA BENTES PINHEIRO" (Grants special pension to Leopoldina Bentes Pinheiro)
- **Main Subjects:** Pensão Especial (Special Pension), Concessão (Grant)
- **Lexml Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-14;919
- **Wikimedia Project Focus:** WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Copyright Status:** Public domain (as a statute/edict of government)

## FAQs

**What does Law No. 919 of November 14, 1949 do?**
This Brazilian federal law grants a special pension (pensão especial) to an individual named Leopoldina Bentes Pinheiro. It functions as a concession statute, creating a specific legal entitlement for the named beneficiary.

**What type of legal document is Lei nº 919/1949?**
It is classified as a statute, which is a formal written document that creates law. As a statute, it serves as a manifestation of statutory law and is composed of legal norms enacted through legislation.

**Where was this law published and when did it take effect?**
The law was published in Rio de Janeiro on November 14, 1949. This publication date coincides with its promulgation by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

**Is this law copyrighted?**
No. Like other statutes and government edicts, Law No. 919/1949 is in the public domain under the "edict of government doctrine," which establishes that official legal documents are not subject to copyright restrictions.

## Why It Matters

Law No. 919 of November 14, 1949 represents a specific category of Brazilian legislation known as nominal or individual pension laws—statutes that grant special pensions to named individuals, typically in recognition of public service, hardship, or other meritorious circumstances. These laws constitute a distinct subset of Brazil's legal corpus, reflecting the legislative branch's historical role in addressing individual administrative matters through specific statutes rather than general regulations.

As a federal statute promulgated in 1949, this law falls within the post-World War II period of Brazilian republican governance, when Rio de Janeiro still served as the federal capital (the capital would not transfer to Brasília until 1960). The law's publication in Rio de Janeiro places it geographically within the administrative center of Brazil at that time.

The existence of this law within structured legal databases like Lexml (Brazil's official legal information system) demonstrates the ongoing effort to catalog and preserve Brazil's legislative history, making even individual pension grants searchable and accessible through standardized identifiers. Its inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws further indicates its documentation within collaborative knowledge-organization initiatives focused on Brazilian legal heritage.

## Notable For

- **Individual Entitlement Grant:** Creates a specific legal right for a named individual (Leopoldina Bentes Pinheiro) rather than establishing general rules applicable to a class of persons
- **Rio de Janeiro Publication:** Published when Rio de Janeiro served as Brazil's federal capital, predating the capital's transfer to Brasília by approximately 11 years
- **Special Pension Category:** Designates the pension as "special" (especial), distinguishing it from standard or statutory pension provisions
- **Lexml Integration:** Assigned a standardized URN identifier (urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-14;919) within Brazil's official legal document identification system
- **Statute Classification:** Formally classified as a statute, placing it within the category of formal written documents that create law, alongside acts, executive orders, and by-laws
- **WikiProject Documentation:** Recognized within WikiProject Brazilian Laws as an entity of organized documentation interest

## Body

### Legal Classification and Type

Law No. 919 of November 14, 1949 is formally classified as a **statute** (estatuto), defined as a formal written document that creates law. Within legal taxonomy, a statute functions as a subclass of written work, document, and rule. It serves as the concrete manifestation of statutory law and is composed of legal norms.

As a statute, Lei nº 919/1949 shares characteristics with other legal instruments in this category:
- **Acts:** Laws passed by a legislature
- **Executive Orders:** Directives issued by executive authority
- **By-laws:** Rules made by local authorities or corporations

The law represents the end product of the legislative process, following the stage of draft laws and resulting from the broader act of legislation.

### Content and Beneficiary

The law's digest (official summary) states: **"CONCEDE PENSÃO ESPECIAL A LEOPOLDINA BENTES PINHEIRO"**—translated as "Grants special pension to Leopoldina Bentes Pinheiro."

The statute's main subjects are identified as:
- **Pensão Especial (Special Pension):** The legal entitlement being created
- **Concessão (Grant):** The administrative act of conferring this entitlement

The use of the term "especial" (special) indicates that this pension falls outside standard pension frameworks, suggesting unique circumstances warranting individual legislative action. Such special pensions in Brazilian legal history have typically been granted for reasons including recognition of public service, compensation for hardship or injury, or acknowledgment of contributions to the nation.

### Promulgation and Authority

The law was **promulgated** on November 14, 1949, by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil** (Presidência da República Federativa do Brasil). Promulgation represents the formal act by which the executive authority authenticates and publishes a law, making it official and enforceable.

The determination method is explicitly recorded as "promulgation," distinguishing this from other methods of legal validation or enactment.

### Publication and Jurisdiction

**Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro
**Publication Date:** November 14, 1949

The publication in Rio de Janeiro reflects the political geography of Brazil in 1949, when Rio served as the federal capital. Rio de Janeiro remained the seat of federal government until April 22, 1960, when Brasília was inaugurated as the new capital.

**Applicable Jurisdiction:** Brazil

As a federal law (lei federal), this statute applies throughout Brazilian territory under the jurisdiction of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

### Language and Format

The law is composed in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil. Its full formal title follows Brazilian legal naming conventions:

- **Portuguese:** Lei nº 919, de 14 de novembro de 1949
- **English:** Law No. 919 of November 14, 1949
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 919/1949

### Identification Systems and References

Law No. 919/1949 is cataloged within multiple identification and reference systems:

**Lexml Brazil URN:**
- Identifier: `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-14;919`
- Reference URL: https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-14;919

Lexml (Legislative XML) is Brazil's standard for identifying and exchanging legal documents electronically. The URN structure encodes:
- `br`: Brazil (country)
- `federal`: Federal level
- `lei`: Law type
- `1949-11-14`: Date of enactment
- `919`: Law number

**WikiProject Association:**
The law is listed on the focus list of **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, indicating its inclusion in collaborative efforts to document and structure information about Brazilian legislation.

### Copyright and Public Domain Status

As a statute and official government document, Law No. 919/1949 exists in the **public domain**. Under the "edict of government doctrine" (recognized in jurisdictions including the United States and France), official legal documents—such as judicial opinions, administrative rulings, legislative enactments, and public ordinances—are not subject to copyright protection.

This public domain status ensures that citizens have unrestricted access to the laws that govern them, supporting principles of open government and the rule of law. The law may be freely reproduced, distributed, and referenced without copyright restrictions.

### Related Legal Concepts

**Statute Characteristics:**
As a statute, Lei nº 919/1949 embodies several defining characteristics of this document type:
- Functions as a formal written document creating law
- Represents a manifestation of statutory law
- Contains legal norms as its structural components
- Results from the legislative process (preceded by draft laws)
- Serves as an official record of a legal rule enacted by government authority

**Schema.org Equivalence:**
In structured data contexts, statutes are equivalent to the `https://schema.org/Legislation` class, enabling standardized representation of legal documents on the semantic web.

### Historical Context

The year 1949 places this law within the **Democratic Period (1946-1964)** of Brazilian history, following the end of the Estado Novo dictatorship (1937-1945) and preceding the military coup of 1964. During this period, Brazil operated under the 1946 Constitution, which restored democratic institutions and civil liberties.

The legislative practice of granting individual pensions through specific statutes reflects the administrative and legal customs of mid-20th century Brazil, where the National Congress would enact laws addressing individual administrative matters that might today be handled through different bureaucratic mechanisms.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-14;919)
2. LexML Brasil