# Law No. 920 of November 16, 1949

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105647745](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105647745)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-920-of-november-16-1949

## Summary
Law No. 920 of November 16, 1949 is a Brazilian statute enacted by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil that formally authorizes the opening of supplementary credit to the Ministry of War for the payment of aid costs. This legal document, promulgated on November 16, 1949, serves as a manifestation of statutory law specifically addressing government budget allocations and military expenditures. It is a written work classified as a statute, applying to the jurisdiction of Brazil and documented under the legal citation Lei nº 920/1949.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 920, de 16 de novembro de 1949
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 920/1949
- **Date of Promulgation:** November 16, 1949
- **Publication Date:** November 16, 1949 (inferred sourcing circumstances)
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Method of Approval:** Promulgation
- **Jurisdiction:** Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil)
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Instance Of:** Statute
- **Primary Function:** Authorizes the opening of supplementary credit
- **Recipient Body:** Ministry of War of Brazil (Ministerio Da Guerra)
- **Purpose of Funds:** Payment of aid costs (Pagamento de Ajuda de Custo)
- **Main Subjects:** Supplementary credit (Credito Suplementar), Ministry of War, Government budget (Verba Um), Payment
- **Lexml Brazil ID:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-16;920
- **WikiProject Status:** Listed on WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Type of Document:** Formal written document creating law

## FAQs
**What is the specific purpose of Law No. 920?**
Law No. 920 serves to authorize the opening of supplementary credit specifically for the Ministry of War. This legislative act facilitates the allocation of additional government budget funds to cover payment obligations related to aid costs.

**Who enacted Law No. 920 and when?**
The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil through the method of promulgation. It was enacted and published on November 16, 1949.

**Where does Law No. 920 apply?**
The statute applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil. At the time of its publication in 1949, the place of publication was Rio de Janeiro, which served as the country's capital.

**What are the main subjects addressed in this law?**
The law's text focuses on supplementary credit (referred to as "Credito Suplementar"), the Ministry of War (Ministerio Da Guerra), the government budget (Verba Um), and payments (Pagamento).

**What type of legal document is Law No. 920?**
It is classified as a statute, which is a formal written document that creates law. As a statute, it is a subclass of a written work and acts as the manifestation of statutory law, generally falling into the public domain.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 920 matters as a concrete example of the Brazilian legislative process regarding financial adjustments and military funding during the mid-20th century. As a statute, it represents the formal, written mechanism through which the government exercises fiscal authority, specifically by authorizing supplementary credit when existing budget allocations require modification. This document highlights the operational relationship between the executive branch (the Presidency) and the Ministry of War, ensuring that necessary military expenditures, such as aid costs, are legally sanctioned and recorded. Its preservation in legal archives, identified by its Lexml ID, underscores the importance of maintaining accessible public records of government financial decisions. Furthermore, it exemplifies the function of statutes as public domain documents that provide the definitive, written evidence of legal rules governing society.

## Notable For
- **Specific Fiscal Authorization:** Notable for explicitly authorizing "Verba Um" (Item One/Budget One) supplementary credit to the Ministry of War.
- **Promulgation Method:** Determined and approved via the specific legal method of promulgation by the Presidency.
- **Historical Context of Publication:** Published in Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil at the time (prior to the transfer to Brasília in 1960).
- **Archival Identification:** Distinctly cataloged with the Lexml Brazil ID `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-16;920`.
- **Subject Specificity:** The law digest text is written entirely in Portuguese: "AUTORIZA A ABERTURA DE CREDITO SUPLEMENTAR AO MINISTERIO DA GUERRA PARA PAGAMENTO DE AJUDA DE CUSTO."

## Body

### Legislative Identity and Classification
Law No. 920 of November 16, 1949 is classified fundamentally as a **statute**. In legal terms, a statute is defined as a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts passed by legislatures. This entity serves as the concrete manifestation of statutory law, distinct from abstract legal concepts, and is taxonomically a subclass of "written work," "document," and "rule." As is standard for statutes in jurisdictions such as Brazil, the United States, and France, this document is generally considered to be in the public domain. The "edict of government" doctrine supports this status, ensuring that official legal documents enacted by the government are not subject to copyright, thereby guaranteeing public access to the law.

### Executive Approval and Process
The enactment of this law was carried out by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The determination method recorded for this approval is **promulgation**, which occurred on the specific point in time of **November 16, 1949**. Promulgation refers to the formal act of proclaiming or declaring a new law or statute to the public. The specific approval by the Presidency indicates that this legislative measure was executed by the executive branch, functioning as the head of state and government under the Brazilian presidential system.

### Financial and Military Context
The primary content of Law No. 920 addresses financial allocations for the Brazilian military. The **main subject** of the statute is **supplementary credit** (stated in the text as "Credito Suplementar"). This credit is specifically designated for the **Ministry of War of Brazil** (referred to in the document as "Ministerio Da Guerra"). The purpose of this financial allocation is the **payment of aid costs** (Pagamento de Ajuda de Custo). The law also references the **government budget** under the classification "Verba Um." This combination of subjects places the law squarely within the domain of military financial administration and government budget execution.

### Jurisdiction, Language, and Publication
The statute applies to the jurisdiction of **Brazil**, the largest country in South America and a federal republic. The **language of work or name** for this document is **Brazilian Portuguese**, reflecting the official and most widely spoken language of the country. The **place of publication** is listed as **Rio de Janeiro**. It is notable to contextualize that while the capital of Brazil was transferred to Brasília in April 1960, in 1949, Rio de Janeiro served as the federal capital and the seat of the Portuguese Empire from 1808 to 1821.

### Metadata and Archival Identification
Law No. 920 is cataloged with specific identifiers that facilitate its retrieval and reference within legal knowledge systems. The **Lexml Brazil ID** for this entity is `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-16;920`. The **legal citation of this text** is standardized as **Lei nº 920/1949**. Additionally, the document is tracked on the **on focus list of Wikimedia project** known as **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**. The document also carries the Wikidata description "Brazilian law" and is associated with the aliases "Lei nº 920, de 16 de novembro de 1949." These identifiers ensure the law is distinctively indexed across global knowledge bases, such as Wikidata, and library systems.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-16;920)
2. LexML Brasil