North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H708 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 1
4		-	HOUSE BILL 708
	3	+	H D
	4	+	HOUSE BILL DRH30258-NHa-149
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: IROBOT - Increasing Robotics Opportunities. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors: Representatives T. Brown, Willis, and Lofton (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10		-	Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11		-	April 3, 2025
12		-	H708 -v-1
	9	+	Sponsors: Representative T. Brown.
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRH30258 -NHa-149
13	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
14	14		AN ACT TO INCREASE ROBOTICS OPPORTUNITIES AND BUILD OUR TALENTS BY 2
15	15		CONTINUING THE ROBOTICS GRANT PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 3
16	16		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
17	17		SECTION 1.(a) Article 16 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 5
18	18		adding a new Part to read: 6
19	19		"Part 12. Academic Grant Programs. 7
20	20		"§ 115C-238.90. Educational and Competitive High School Robotics Grant Program. 8
21	21		(a) Program; Purpose. – To the extent funds are made available, there is established the 9
22	22		Educational and Competitive High School Robotics Grant Program (Program). The purpose of 10
23	23		the Program shall be to (i) promote evidence-based, after-school programs for robotics education 11
24	24		and competition for high school students and (ii) motivate students to pursue education and career 12
25	25		opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while building critical life 13
26	26		and work-related skills. The Program shall operate in accordance with the provisions of this 14
27	27		section in any year in which funds are made available for the purpose. 15
28	28		(b) Eligibility. – Any robotics team is eligible to apply to the Department of Public 16
29	29		Instruction for a grant to develop an educational and competitive high school robotics program 17
30	30		with a robotics partner. Robotics teams may be coordinated through a public school unit or a 18
31	31		community organization. As used in this subsection, the term "community organization" means 19
32	32		a nonprofit or for-profit corporation or other entity registered to operate in the State with a 20
33	33		purpose of providing academically and socially enriching activities for school-aged children and 21
34	34		the term "robotics partner" shall refer to a third-party entity, such as a nonprofit organization or 22
35	35		institution of higher education, approved by the Department of Public Instruction, that is able to 23
36	36		provide adequate support for an high school robotics program. In order to provide adequate 24
37	37		support, a robotics partner must meet at least all of the following criteria: 25
38	38		(1) Have a statewide or national presence in robotics education and competition. 26
39	39		(2) Provide adequate instruction and programming for students and adult 27
40	40		volunteers in (i) robotics education, (ii) project-based learning, and (iii) 28
41	41		competitive robotics. 29
42	42		(3) Promote a safe and equitable social environment. 30
43	43		(c) Applications; Criteria and Guidelines. – No later than August 1 of each year of the 31
44	44		Program, the Department shall develop and publish criteria and guidelines for the application 32
45	45		process for the Program in the upcoming school year, including any documentation required to 33
46	46		be submitted by the applicants. The Department shall accept applications until September 30. 34
47		-	Applications shall include, at a minimum, the following information: 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 House Bill 708-First Edition
	47	+	Applications shall include, at a minimum, the following information: 35
	48	+	H.B. 708
	49	+	Apr 2, 2025
	50	+	HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	51	+	Page 2 DRH30258-NHa-149
49	52		(1) Evidence that the applicant has or will be able to establish a relationship with 1
50	53		a robotics partner. 2
51	54		(2) A proposed budget for the educational and competitive after-school robotics 3
52	55		program. 4
53	56		(d) Award and Use of Funds. – The Department shall award grants to the selected 5
54	57		applicants by October 31 of each year of the Program. Funds may be used for any of the following 6
55	58		purposes: 7
56	59		(1) Establish a relationship with a robotics partner. 8
57	60		(2) Purchase robotics kits, parts, or supplies. 9
58	61		(3) Provide stipends for coaches. 10
59	62		(4) Make payments associated with participation in a robotics league or robotics 11
60	63		competition. 12
61	64		(5) Pay fees incurred as part of the administration of a robotics team. 13
62	65		(e) Reporting. – No later than October 15 of each year of the Program, the Department 14
63	66		shall report the following information from the prior school year to the Joint Legislative 15
64	67		Education Oversight Committee and the Fiscal Research Division: 16
65	68		(1) The robotics teams that received grants, the public school units or community 17
66	69		organization coordinating the team, and the amount of those grants. 18
67	70		(2) The robotics partner for each robotics team. 19
68	71		(3) The number of robotics teams that applied for grants but did not receive one. 20
69	72		(4) The extent to which students participating in after-school robotics programs 21
70	73		funded by the Program experienced measurable improvement in academic 22
71	74		performance." 23
72	75		SECTION 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 24
73	76		Public Instruction the sum of two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) in recurring 25
74	77		funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to establish and administer the Educational and Competitive 26
75	78		High School Robotics Grant Program under G.S. 115C-238.90, as enacted by this act. 27
76	79		SECTION 2. G.S. 115C-379(b) reads as rewritten: 28
77	80		"(b) In addition to any excused absences authorized pursuant to subsection (a) of this 29
78	81		section, the rules shall require school principals to authorize the following excused absences: 30
79	82		… 31
80	83		(3) Academic competitions. – A principal shall make reasonable accommodations 32
81	84		to grant students excused absences to participate in school-sanctioned 33
82	85		academic competitions, including Science Olympiad, 4-H, high school 34
83	86		robotics, and speech and debate. 35
84	87		The rules may require that the student's parent or legal guardian give the principal written 36
85	88		notice of the request for an excused absence a reasonable time prior to the religious observance 37
86	89		or military leave. absence requested pursuant to this section. The student shall be given the 38
87	90		opportunity to make up any tests or other work missed due to an excused absence for a religious 39
88	91		observance or military leave.under this section." 40
89	92		SECTION 3. Subsection 1(b) of this act is effective July 1, 2025. The remainder of 41
90	93		this act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. 42