Washington State Constitutional Limitations on Gifting of Funds to Private Enterprise: A Need for Reform

This Comment argues that the donative intent analysis shields government proprietary transactions from proper review by seeking only prima facie evidence of consideration.This Comment is divided into four parts. First, it traces the historical emergence of the current standard of constitutional analysis under Article VIII, sections 5 and 7. Second, the Comment discusses the court's constitutional analysis and its relation to the historical intent of the framers, and proposes a new standard of review. Third, the proposed and current standards are applied to two instances of modern public financial assistance to private enterprise: legislative financing of a thoroughbred racetrack, and a state agency's subsidy of intrastate freight rail.

Finally, this Comment concludes that the proposed standard should be adopted.