Section 192-3-006 - The Committee Of Blind Vendors006.01.COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEE. The State Licensing Agency shall form a State Committee of Blind Vendors consisting of a minimum of five members (pursuant to current Bylaws of the Committee) to be elected at a general meeting of all vendors in May of each odd-numbered year. As much as possible, membership must be representative of vendor population in terms of such factors as geography, gender, and vending facility type with a goal of providing for proportional representation of blind vendors on federal property and blind vendors on other property.006.02.VOTING. Every vendor licensed by the State Licensing Agency is entitled to vote and no vendor may be denied his or her vote for the nonpayment of dues or any other dues or any other fees. If any vendor is not able to attend the meeting, the State Licensing Agency shall poll and record his or her vote before the election becomes final. 006.02A. Any licensed vendor may submit his or her name as a candidate for election to the Committee to the State Licensing Agency. The submissions must be received by the SLA no later than the last day of April. If five or more names have been submitted, the State Licensing Agency shall make the list of candidates available to all licensed vendors not later than the 7th day of May. If fewer than five names are submitted prior to the last day of April, the SLA shall consult with the existing Committee of Blind Vendors to persuade one or more additional licensed vendors to be candidates for election to the Committee. 006.02B. Once five or more nominations have been submitted, the SLA shall prepare a ballot containing the names of all candidates. After review of the ballot for accuracy by the Committee of Blind Vendors, the SLA shall distribute ballots to all licensed blind vendors. Each vendor may vote for five or fewer candidates (or more pursuant to 006.01). The SLA shall certify the candidates with the highest total of votes as the elected Committee of Blind Vendors at the spring meeting. Ties will be broken by secret ballot or show of hands at the spring meeting. Any vendor may request Secret-Ballot ballots.006.03.COMMITTEE SHALL CHOOSE OFFICERS: At the earliest convenient time, the elected members of the committee shall meet to choose officers.006.04.MEETINGS WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. The committee shall meet with the Executive Director of the State Licensing Agency or his or her designated representative on at least a quarterly basis. Either the committee or the State Licensing Agency may request a special meeting at any time and, if agreed upon between the parties, the SLA shall arrange the meeting.006.05.VACANCIES: In the event of a vacancy occurring on the committee, the State Licensing Agency shall promptly provide for an election, conducted by either mail or phone canvass, to fill the vacancy. The person elected to fill the vacancy shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term.006.06.MINUTES. The appropriate officer of the committee shall keep the minutes of each regular and special meeting and make them available for public inspection in accordance with the Public Meeting Law; Nebraska Revised Statutes Section 84-1413 within ten working days after the meeting. The State Licensing Agency shall duplicate the minutes and distribute them to all vendors. If any vendor requests that minutes be provided in Braille, recorded or electronic format, the State Licensing Agency will fill that request.006.07.OPEN MEETING. All meetings of the committee are open to the public in accordance with the Public Meeting Law, Nebraska Revised Statutes Section 84-1408, except as allowed in accordance with Nebraska Revised Statutes Section 84-1410.006.08.QUORUM AND BYLAWS. For the purpose of transacting business, a quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the committee. The committee shall establish procedural bylaws in order to facilitate the conduct of meetings and other business.006.09.RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE. The Committee of Blind Vendors shall:006.09A. Actively participate with the State Licensing Agency in major administrative decisions and policy and program development decisions affecting the overall administration of the Nebraska vending facility program;006.09B. Receive and transmit to the State Licensing Agency any grievance of a blind vendor who so requests and serve as advocate for such vendor in connection with such grievance if the grievant so requests, as provided in 013; Evidentiary Hearing and Arbitration of Vendor Complaints.006.09C. Actively participate with the State Licensing Agency in the administration of a system for the transfer and promotion of blind vendors as provided in 010; Transfer and Promotion of Vendors.006.09D. Actively participate with the State Licensing Agency in the development of training and retraining programs for blind vendors;006.09E. Sponsor, with the assistance of the State Licensing Agency, meetings and instructional conferences for blind vendors within the state;006.09F. Actively participate with the State Licensing Agency in determining set-aside charges as provided in 007; Set-Aside Funds.006.09G. Actively participate with the State Licensing Agency in developing operating agreements as provided in 010; Operating Agreements.006.09H. Carry out any similar functions that the committee and/or the State Licensing Agency find appropriate.192 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 3, § 006
Amended effective 7/2/2019