§ 48-3077 — Assessment of United States lands within district; status of entrymen

A. Public lands of the United States, entered and unentered, within the boundaries of an irrigation district organized in this state shall be assessed for district purposes in the manner provided by law to the extent authorized by an act of Congress entitled, "an act to promote reclamation of arid lands," approved August 11, 1916, or any other law enacted by the Congress relating thereto.

B. Resident entrymen of public lands shall be qualified as petitioners for the organization of an irrigation district, and entrymen residing on lands included within any district, the plans and maps of which have been approved by the secretary of the interior, if otherwise qualified, shall be qualified electors at elections upon bond issues and special assessments whether or not they are real property taxpayers for the purpose of general taxation. Such entrymen shall be deemed holders of lands within any irrigation district for the purpose of qualifying as electors for irrigation district purposes in general. They shall share all privileges and obligations of private landowners within the district including the right to hold office, subject to the acts of Congress referred to in this section.

C. The board of directors of an irrigation district may make investigations, and, based thereon, assurances to the secretary of the interior necessary to comply with such acts of the Congress.