42-2014. APPLICATION TO ENTER — PREFERENCE TO EX-SERVICE PERSON — "EX-SERVICE PERSON" DEFINED. Any citizen of the United States or any person having declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States may make application under oath, to the department of water resources, to enter any of said land in an amount not to exceed the maximum number of acres for which such person is permitted to apply by federal law for any one (1) person: provided, that ex-service persons as herein defined shall have a thirty (30) day preference right of entry upon any and all lands opened for entry by the state of Idaho under this act; and such application shall set forth that the person desiring to make such entry does so for the purpose of actual reclamation, cultivation and settlement in accordance with the act of congress and the laws of this state relating thereto, and that the applicant has never received the benefit of the provisions of this chapter to an amount greater than the maximum number of acres for which such person is permitted to apply by federal law, including the number of acres specified in the application under consideration.

Each application shall be accompanied by evidence of the applicant’s ability to meet standards of personal financial responsibility or acceptable personal credit backing or membership in a group as provided in section 42-2003, Idaho Code, and said group shall establish composite financial responsibility and/or acceptable credit. Such standards shall be prescribed by the director by rule and regulation. Such application must be accompanied by a certified copy of a contract for a perpetual water right, made and entered into by the party making application with the person, company or association who has been authorized by the director to furnish water for the reclamation of said lands; and if said applicant has at any previous time entered lands under the provisions of this chapter he shall so state in his application, together with description, date of entry and location of said land. The director shall thereupon file in his office the application and papers relating thereto, and, if allowed, issue a certificate of location to the applicant. All applications for entry shall be accompanied by the payment of five dollars ($5.00) per acre, which shall be paid as a partial payment on the land if the application is allowed; and all certificates when issued shall be recorded in a book to be kept for the purpose. If the application is not allowed, the five dollars ($5.00) per acre accompanying it shall be refunded to the applicant. The director shall dispose of all lands accepted by the state under the provisions of this chapter at a uniform price of ten dollars ($10.00) per acre, half to be paid at the time of entry and the remainder at the time of making final proof by the settler: provided further, that the term ex-service person as used in this act is hereby defined to mean any person who was regularly enlisted, inducted or commissioned, and who served on active duty in any branch of the armed forces of the United States during any period of war recognized by the United States department of veterans affairs for the purpose of awarding federal veterans benefits as may be defined in title 38, U.S. code, chapter 1, section 101(11), and is a citizen of the United States and a bona fide resident of the state of Idaho preceding the date of such opening.

History:

[(42-2014) 1895, p. 215, ch. 2, sec.17; reen. 1899, p. 282, ch. 2, sec. 17; reen. R.C. & C.L., sec. 1626; C.S., sec. 3009; am. 1921, ch. 156, sec. 2, p. 348; I.C.A., sec. 41-1714; am. 1945, ch. 167, sec. 1, p. 250; am. 1949, ch. 106, sec. 1, p. 195; am. 1969, ch. 469, sec.5, p. 1346; am. 1974, ch. 164, sec. 6, p. 1397; am. 1976, ch. 109, sec. 1, p. 433; am. 1977, ch. 41, sec. 1, p. 73; am. 1991, ch. 219, sec. 1, p. 523; am. 1992, ch. 53, sec. 3, p. 158.]