ACB is greatly alarmed by a bill that went before the Tennessee legislature on Thursday, April 17. An amendment was added to a Tennessee House bill that would have greatly weakened the state version of the Randolph-Sheppard Act. The Randolph-Sheppard Act gives priority to blind applicants for vending contracts for federal facilities. The Tennessee equivalent does the same for state and local facilities. These programs provide wonderful opportunities for blind and low vision people to run their own business, make a good income, and push back against the high level of unemployment in the blind community.
Representative Kevin Vaughan proposed an amendment to state House Bill 1066 that would eliminate the priority for blind vendors if their bid cannot compete with the rate of other companies. This would be devastating for the blind community; it would weaken an already difficult process to find employment for blind and low vision people. Additionally, there are rumors that similar bills might pop up in other states.
Thankfully, the Tennessee legislature voted to pass the original bill without Rep. Vaughan’s amendment. However, this occurrence gave reason to be on high alert for similar bills in other states.
Posted on April 18th, 2025