(a) The authority in charge of any building or property owned, operated or leased by the state or any municipality therein shall grant to the Department of Rehabilitation Services a permit to operate in such building or on such property a food service facility, a vending machine or a stand for the vending of newspapers, periodicals, confections, tobacco products, food and such other articles as such authority approves when, in the opinion of such authority, such facility, machine or stand is desirable in such location. Any person operating such a stand in any such location on October 1, 1945, shall be permitted to continue such operation, but upon such person's ceasing such operation such authority shall grant a permit for continued operation to the Department of Rehabilitation Services. The department may establish a training facility at any such location.

(b) Pursuant to the Randolph-Sheppard Vending Stand Act, 49 Stat. 1559 (1936), 20 USC 107, as amended from time to time, the Department of Rehabilitation Services is authorized to maintain a nonlapsing account and to accrue interest thereon for federal vending machine income which, in accordance with federal regulations, shall be used for the payment of fringe benefits to the vending facility operators by the Department of Rehabilitation Services.

(c) The Department of Rehabilitation Services may maintain a nonlapsing account and accrue interest thereon for state and local vending machine income which shall be used for the payment of fringe benefits, training and support to vending facilities operators, to provide entrepreneurial and independent-living training and equipment to children who are blind or visually impaired and adults who are blind and for other vocational rehabilitation programs and services for adults who are blind.

(d) The Department of Rehabilitation Services may disburse state and local vending machine income to student or client activity funds, as defined in section 4-52.

(1949 Rev., S. 1618; 1959, P.A. 264, S. 1; 615, S. 20; 1963, P.A. 386, S. 6; P.A. 75-549; P.A. 78-218, S. 204; P.A. 80-59; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 163, 165; P.A. 98-252, S. 27, 80; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 35, 131; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 64; P.A. 11-44, S. 18; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 50.)

History: 1959 acts deleted reference to county buildings and property and extended section's application to food service machines and vending machines; 1963 act changed the name of the board; P.A. 75-549 clarified “state or municipal” building by replacing phrase with “building or property owned, operated or leased by the state or any municipality therein”; P.A. 78-218 substituted “such person’s” for “his”; P.A. 80-59 added Subsec. (b) re savings account for nonstate vending machine income; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision allowing the board to establish a training facility at any location where the board operates a food service, vending machine, newsstand, etc., effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-252 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for a nonlapsing account rather than a savings account and allow for the accrual of interest in such account for federal vending machine income, rather than nonstate income, added Subsec. (c) to allow the Board of Education and Services for the Blind to maintain a nonlapsing account for the payment of fringe benefits, training and support to vending facilities operators and provide entrepreneurial and independent-living training and equipment for blind or visually impaired children or blind adults, and added Subsec. (d) to authorize the board to disburse state and local vending machine income to student or client activity funds, effective July 1, 2001; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3 amended Subsec. (c) to authorize use of funds maintained in nonlapsing account for “other vocational rehabilitation programs and services for adults who are blind”, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 11-44 replaced “Board of Education and Services for the Blind” with “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” and made a conforming change, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 replaced “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” and “bureau” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services” and “department”, respectively, effective July 1, 2012.