OLRS assists vendor to restore his business, including $74,000 in damages
Frank Malone, a vendor who operated the cafeteria in a state office building in Columbus, requested OLRS assist him in asserting his rights through the Randolph-Sheppard Act. The Randolph-Sheppard Act is a federal law that gives a preference to people who are blind to operate vending facilities on federal and state property.
Mr. Malone requested OLRS' assistance to persuade the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, Business Enterprise Program to adhere to the requirements of this federal and state law in protecting the priority of blind vendors to operate food service establishments in state buildings and to provide him with consulting services to enable him to run his facility efficiently and to earn a profit. OLRS represented him in a Section 119 hearing and also a hearing before an Ad Hoc Arbitration Panel. The Arbitration Panel found that Mr. Malone was deprived of employment as a licensed blind vendor for four years, partly as a direct result of Business Enterprise Program's acts and omissions. Business Enterprise Program was ordered to pay approximately $74,000 in damages, restore Mr. Malone's status and license as a vendor in good standing with the program, and offer Mr. Malone the first available vending facility that was comparable to what he was previously assigned.
Article posted September 21, 2007
Related Topics:
