Article XIII, § 19 — Bonus paid to veterans and deceased veterans' dependents

1. The Legislature shall be authorized to provide by law for compensating and paying a bonus in money to veterans and to dependents of deceased veterans, who were legal residents of the state of South Dakota for a period of not less than six months immediately preceding entry into the armed forces of the United States and who have served for ninety or more days in the armed forces of the United States between the period beginning December 7, 1941 and ending September 2, 1945 and who are still in the armed forces or were discharged therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. Such bonus to be paid in cash, at the rate of fifty cents per day for each day of service in the armed forces within continental United States and at the rate of seventy-five cents per day for each day of service in the armed forces outside of continental United States, provided that any such person who served wholly within continental United States shall be entitled to receive not to exceed a bonus or total sum of five hundred dollars, and any such person who has served wholly outside of continental United States, or partly within and partly without, shall be entitled to receive not to exceed a bonus payment in the total sum of six hundred fifty dollars; such bonus to be paid on or before the thirty-first day of December 1950. For this purpose the Legislature may use credit of the state and any indebtedness created for this purpose shall not be a part of the indebtedness authorized or limited by other provisions of the Constitution; provided that the amount of indebtedness created by the state for the purpose specified in this section shall not exceed thirty million dollars. If upon computation the amount of thirty million dollars shall be inadequate to make the specified payments as stated in this section, the Legislature shall have the power to apportion the amount. 2. The term "armed forces" shall mean and include the following: United States army, army of the United States, United States navy, United States naval reserves, United States marine corps, United States marine corps reserve, United States coast guard, United States coast guard reserve which shall be construed to include the United States guard temporary reserve, women's army corps, United States navy women's reserve, United States marine corps women's reserve, United States coast guard women's reserve, army nurse corps and navy nurse corps.