The United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Hawaii’s program for the blind on Tuesday, unanimously upholding the federally mandated practice of giving blind and visually impaired vendors preference for vending facility or cafeteria contracts.
What You Need To Know
Hoopono, a program of the Hawaii Department of Human Services Division for Vocation Rehabilitation, sued the Army after the Army discontinued its contract with a blind vendor who had run the cafeteria at Schofield Barracks since 2005 and awarded it to another small business following a reclassification of the facility in 2016
The court sided with Hoopono’s argument that the Army did not have the authority to deny the original vendor the opportunity to operate the cafeteria
The case hinged on the court’s assessment purpose and effect of the facility reclassification and the application of the Randolph-Sheppard Act, a federal law that ensures opportunities for small businesses owned and operated by the blind or visually impaired
The Army can still appeal the decision to a full panel of the Ninth Circuit or to the United States Supreme Court
Hoopono, a program of the Hawaii Department of Human Services Division for Vocation Rehabilitation, sued the Army after the Army discontinued its contract with a blind vendor who had run the cafeteria at Schofield Barracks since 2005 and awarded it to another small business following a reclassification of the facility in 2016.
