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Senate panel advances student-drafted bill to create robotics competition grant program
Summary
Students and sponsors told the Senate Education Committee that SB 391 would create authority for a state grant program to help schools and extracurricular robotics teams pay registration, travel and parts costs; the committee voted to advance the bill.
Senators advanced Senate Bill 391 on a voice vote after a group of high school robotics students and their mentors described costs and educational benefits of competitive robotics programs.
The bill, introduced by Senator Dismayne, would authorize the Department of Education to establish a robotics competition grant program but does not appropriate funding. Students who testified said the legislation mainly formalizes language the teams drafted to create a grant program and includes provisions such as a local match and limits intended to prevent abuse.
Why it matters: Supporters said robotics programs teach technical and workplace skills — from machining, CAD and programming to public speaking and team leadership — and said financial barriers exclude many schools. Students and mentors testified the median team cost for a FIRST Robotics Competition team can exceed $23,000 per season because of registration, travel and parts; teams frequently fundraise or seek community grants to avoid charging student dues.
Committee testimony and details: Several students from Breakaway (team 3937), The Goonies (team 9067) and other Arkansas teams described hands-on learning they gained through machining, coding, outreach and competition. Mary Alice Brooks, a mentor and public relations coach, told the committee that school contributions vary and that mentors spend substantial unpaid hours fundraising and writing grants. Team members said many schools cover only a fraction of team expenses and that student fundraising, sponsor donations and occasional Department of Defense or other grants fill the rest.
Senators noted student-drafted guardrails in the bill: a 25% minimum local match and a cap on stipends tied to a mentor or instructor (testimony referenced a $1,500 cap). Sponsors emphasized the bill creates enabling authority only; the Department of Education would later promulgate rules and (if funding were appropriated) manage awards.
Action: A motion to advance SB 391 was made and seconded; the committee approved the bill on a voice vote.
What’s next: The bill does not include an appropriation. If the full legislature or an appropriations bill provides funding, the Department of Education would write the program rules and award grants under the statute.
