115.45 Robotics league participation grants program.

(1) In this section:

(a) “Allowable expenses" includes fees, kits, and supplies required to participate in a robotics competition, travel expenses to a robotics competition for eligible team members, and a stipend for the mentor of an eligible team.

(b) “Eligible team" means any of the following:

1. A robotics competition team consisting of pupils in any of the grades 9 through 12 and at least one mentor.

2. A robotics competition team described in subd. 1. that also has one or more pupils in any of the grades 6 to 8.

(c) “Robotics competition" means a competition that requires participating teams to design, construct, program, and operate robots and that is sponsored by a nonstock, nonprofit corporation, described under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from taxation under section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code, having as one of its organizational purposes encouraging young people to develop an interest in science, engineering, technology, and math.

(2)

(a) Annually, the department shall notify school boards, operators of charter schools under s. 118.40 (2r) and (2x), governing bodies of private schools, and administrators of home-based private educational programs that applications for grants to participate in one or more robotics competitions will be accepted from eligible teams through a date set forth in the notice. As a condition of receiving a grant under this section, an applicant eligible team shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the applicant eligible team will provide matching funds in an amount equal to the amount awarded under this section.

(b) From the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (dr), the department shall award grants to eligible teams selected from the applicants under par. (a). Grant funds awarded under this section may be applied only towards allowable expenses. The department cannot award more than $5,000 to an eligible team in a school year.

(3) The department shall publish on its Internet site a list of grant recipients and submit to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) a report on the program under this section.

History: 2015 a. 280; 2017 a. 59, 315; 2019 a. 9; s. 35.17 correction in (1) (b) (intro.).