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Unread 18-05-2016, 13:46
northstardon northstardon is offline
Robots are just like rocks, right?
AKA: Don Elsenheimer
FRC #2220 (Blue Twilight)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Rookie Year: 2014
Location: Eagan, Minnesota
Posts: 37
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Re: What states fund robotics

Quote:
Originally Posted by ehochstein View Post
The Minnesota state government does not currently fund any FIRST teams at any level.
Additional clarification...the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), which partners with FIRST to present the State Robotics Competition, is a voluntary, independent non-profit association of schools that neither seeks nor receives any state funding.

Minnesota House Bill 1800 (https://legiscan.com/MN/text/HF1800/2015) (companion of Senate Bill 1864) was introduced in 2015, but failed to pass. It would have provided $200,000 over two years for hands-on engineering programs in "Greater Minnesota" (i.e. areas outside of the Twin Cities and their suburbs). The funds would have been administered by High Tech Kids, which does a fabulous job supporting FLL and FTC programs within the state.

Given the rivalry between Minnesota and our neighbors to the east, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see the Wisconsin bill spur a renewed effort to provide some state money for MN robotics teams in 2017. With luck (and some lobbying?) any proposed legislation: a) would involve more money, b) would apply to all MN robotic competitions (including FRC), and, c) wouldn't exclude teams based on geography.
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