Opinion ID: 1297458
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Does ch. 3, Laws of 1969, violate art. VIII, sec. 10 of the Wisconsin Constitution?

Text: Art. VIII, sec. 10 of the Wisconsin Constitution [4] prohibits the state from creating debts for works of internal improvement or being a party to the carrying on of such work. Sixty-seven years ago in State ex rel. Jones v. Froehlich (1902), 115 Wis. 32, 38, 91 N. W. 115, this court defined internal improvement in the concept of that day as those things which ordinarily might, in human experience, be expected to be undertaken for profit or benefit to the property interests of private promoters, as distinguished from those other things which primarily and preponderantly merely facilitate the essential functions of government. This definition is not mutually exclusive. Assuming the first part of the definition still has validity, it would not apply to Marquette School of Medicine because the school does not exist for the profit or benefit of property interests of private promoters. The medical school is a nonprofit corporation, has no members or stockholders but only a board of directors. It is not brick or mortar but an institution which has an annual operating deficit of over one million dollars. One would not, in ordinary human experience, expect private promoters today to establish and operate a medical school for profit. We think the second part of the definition has validity in excluding those improvements which are used by and for the state in the performance of its governmental function. The type of improvements and the nature of the structures change as time goes on and the functions of government increase and expand. Under this reasoning, the state has constructed many buildings for the university, a state office building, and many other-purpose buildings. State ex rel. Thomson v. Giessel (1955), 271 Wis. 15, 72 N. W. 2d 577; State ex rel. La Follette v. Reuter (1967), 33 Wis. 2d 384, 147 N. W. 2d 304; see State ex rel. Thomson v. Giessel (1953), 265 Wis. 185, 60 N. W. 2d 873. We need not now decide whether the construction of a building for Marquette School of Medicine is a work of internal improvement, because all that is involved here is an appropriation for operating expenses. The state funds are appropriated for medical education, teaching, and research; and promotion, research and educational activities we have held are not internal improvements. State ex rel. Wisconsin Development Authority v. Dammann, supra, page 191.