WISCONSIN CONSTITUTION


by the state or an agency, department or instrumentality
thereof.
   (e) The legislature shall prescribe all matters relating to
the contracting of public debt pursuant to paragraph (a),
including: the public purposes for which public debt may be
contracted: by vote of a majority of the members elected to
each of the 2 houses of the legislature, the amount of public
debt which may be contracted for any class of such pur-
poses; the public debt or other indebtedness which may be
funded or refunded; the kinds of notes, bonds or other evi-
dence of public debt which may be issued by the state; and
the manner in which the aggregate value of all taxable prop-
erty in the state shall be determined.
   (f) The full faith, credit and taxing power of the state are
pledged to the payment of all public debt created on behalf
of the state pursuant to this section and the legislature shall
provide by appropriation for the payment of the interest
upon and instalments of principal of all such public debt as
the same falls due, but, in any event, suit may be brought
against the state to compel such payment.
   (g) At any time after January 1, 1972, by vote of a ma-
jority of the members elected to each of the 2 houses of the


legislature, the legislature may declare that an emergency ex-
ists and submit to the people a proposal to authorize the
state to contract a specific amount of public debt for a pur-
pose specified in such proposal, without regard to the limit
provided in paragraph (b). Any such authorization shall be
effective if approved by a majority of the electors voting
thereon. Public debt contracted pursuant to such authoriza-
tion shall thereafter be deemed to have been contracted pur-
suant to paragraph (a), but neither such public debt nor any
public debt contracted to fund or refund such public debt
shall be considered in computing the debt limit provided in
paragraph (b). Not more than one such authorization shall
be thus made in any 2-year period. [1967 AJR-I, 1969
AJR-I]

    Public debt for public defense. SECTION 7. [Original
form] The legislature may also borrow money to repel inva-
sion, suppress insurrection, or defend the state in time of
war; but the money thus raised shall be applied exclusively
to the object for which the loan was authorized, or to the
repayment of the debt thereby created.


    Vote on fiscal bills; quorum. SECTION 8. On the passage in either house
of the legislature of
any law which imposes, continues or renews a tax, or creates a debt or charge,
or makes, contin-
ues or renews an appropriation of public or trust money, or releases, discharges
or commutes a
claim or demand of the state, the question shall be taken by yeas and nays,
which shall be duly
entered on the journal; and three-fifths of all the members elected to such
house shall in all such
cases be required to constitute a quorum therein.
    Evidences of public debt. SECTION 9. No scrip, certificate, or other
evidence of state debt,
whatsoever, shall be issued, except for such debts as are authorized by the
sixth and seventh
sections of this article.
    Internal improvements. SECTION 10. [As amended April 19681 The state
shall never contract any
debt for works of internal improvement, or be a party in carrying on such
works; but whenever
grants of land or other property shall have been made to the state, especially
dedicated by the
grant to particular works of internal improvement, the state may carry on
such particular works
and shall devote thereto the avails of such grants, and may pledge or appropriate
the revenues
derived from such works in aid of their completion. Provided, that the state
may appropriate
money in the treasury or to be thereafter raised by taxation for the construction
or improvement
of public highways or the development, improvement and construction of airports
or other aero-
nautical projects or the acquisition, improvement or construction of veterans'
housing or the
improvement of port facilities. Provided, that the state may appropriate
moneys for the purpose
of acquiring, preserving and developing the forests of the state; of the
moneys appropriated
under the authority of this section in any one year an amount not to exceed
two-tenths of one
mill of the taxable property of the state as determined by the last preceding
state assessment may
be raised by a tax on property. [1965 SJR-28; 1967 SJR-18]


   Internal improvements. SECTION 10. [As amended April
19601 The state shall never contract any debt for works of
internal improvement, or be a party in carrying on such
works; but whenever grants of land or other property shall
have been made to the state, especially dedicated by the
grant to particular works of internal improvement, the state
may carry on such particular works and shall devote thereto
the avails of such grants, and may pledge or appropriate the
revenues derived from such works in aid of their completion.
Provided, that the state may appropriate money in the trea-
sury or to be thereafter raised by taxation for the construc-
tion or improvement of public highways or the develop-
ment, improvement and construction of airports or other
aeronautical projects or the acquisition, improvement or
construction of veterans' housing or the improvement of
port facilities. Provided, that the state may appropriate
moneys for the purpose of acquiring, preserving and devel-
oping the forests of the state; but there shall not be appropri-
ated under the authority of this section in any one year an
amount to exceed two-tenths of one mill of the taxable prop-


erty of the state as determined by the last preceding state
assessment. [1957 AJR-39; 1959 SJR-201

   Internal improvements. SECTION 10. [As amended April
1949] The state shall never contract any debt for works of
internal improvement, or be a party in carrying on such
works; but whenever grants of land or other property shall
have been made to the state, especially dedicated by the
grant to particular works of internal improvement, the state
may carry on such particular works and shall devote thereto
the avails of such grants, and may pledge or appropriate the
revenues derived from such works in aid of their completion.
Provided, that the state may appropriate money in the trea-
sury or to be thereafter raised by taxation for the construc-
tion or improvement of public highways or the develop-
ment, improvement and construction of airports or other
aeronautical projects or the acquisition, improvement or
construction of veterans' housing. Provided, that the state
may appropriate moneys for the purpose of acquiring, pre-
serving and developing the forests of the state; but there


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