Bill Text: NY A06066 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a high school robotics grant program; provides funding to high schools for participation in robotics competitions; sets forth eligibility requirements; provides for the application and awards process.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-26 - referred to education [A06066 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A06066-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6066

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 26, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. LUNSFORD, CLARK, JENSEN, BICHOTTE HERMELYN --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to  establishing  a  high
          school robotics participation grant program

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3641-c
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 3641-c. High school robotics participation  grant  program.  1.  The
     4  commissioner  shall  establish  the  high  school robotics participation
     5  grant program and a robotics competition pursuant to  this  section  and
     6  regulations  of  the  commissioner  adopted for such purpose. Within the
     7  amounts appropriated for this  purpose,  the  commissioner  shall  award
     8  grants on a competitive basis to public and private high schools for the
     9  purpose of encouraging study in the fields of science, technology, engi-
    10  neering, and math.
    11    2.  Eligibility. a. Applicants must be a public or private high school
    12  in the state that has a school sponsored robotics club or a team partic-
    13  ipating, or intending to participate, in robotics competitions.
    14    b. Applicants must establish a partnership for the purposes of design-
    15  ing, building and/or programming the team's  robot  with  at  least  one
    16  other sponsor, which shall be a business, institution of higher learning
    17  or  technological  school.   The department shall establish a process to
    18  identify  and  certify  which  robotics  leagues  or  organizations  are
    19  approved  to hold such robotics competitions, for the purposes of eligi-
    20  bility under this section.
    21    3. Applications. Applications must be submitted to the commissioner by
    22  June first of each year for grants to be made for the following academic
    23  year. All grants shall be subject to the  applicant  obtaining  matching
    24  funds from other sources of at least fifty percent of the grant.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01192-02-5
        A. 6066                             2

     1    4.  Awards.  a.  The  commissioner shall grant awards in the amount of
     2  five thousand dollars to schools that are eligible, pursuant to subdivi-
     3  sion two of this section. Awards shall be within the  amounts  appropri-
     4  ated for such purpose and based on availability of funds.
     5    b.  Preference  shall  be  given  to teams at Title I schools, then to
     6  teams at schools that  have  not  previously  participated  in  robotics
     7  competitions  or  received  grants through this program, on a first-come
     8  first-served basis, and if there are funds remaining thereafter to other
     9  previously established programs.
    10    c. Funds awarded under this grant shall be  used  for:    registration
    11  costs;  materials;  travel costs; and other expenses associated with the
    12  preparation for, and attendance at, robotics competitions.
    13    d. Additional grants shall also be made pursuant to such  other  rules
    14  and regulations as may be promulgated by the commissioner.
    15    §  2.    This  act  shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day
    16  after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately,  the  addition,
    17  amendment,  and/or  repeal  of  any rule or regulation necessary for the
    18  implementation of this act on its effective date are  authorized  to  be
    19  made and completed on or before such date.