House passes emergency bill covering school interactions with federal immigration agents, drone use, nonprofit grants and athlete pay rules

The Connecticut House on Feb. 24 passed emergency-certified House Bill 7066, a multipart measure addressing how schools should handle visits from federal immigration authorities, the purchase and use of certain drones for state contracts, grant funding for several nonprofits and new rules relating to student-athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and revenue sharing. Representative Walker moved its passage; the bill passed 94–49 with 7 not voting.

The measure directs the State Department of Education to publish (and the bill to codify) guidance that requires each school building to designate at least one administrator to be the point person when federal immigration agents appear. Representative Walker, the bill proponent and chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, opened debate by moving passage of the emergency-certified bill. Representative Walker said the change was meant to make schools “respect the people of Connecticut in this discussion,” and to add a single, identified contact into existing emergency teams.

Why it matters: supporters said the step gives families and schools a clearer protocol if federal agents visit a school, and opponents said codifying the guidance into statute risks legal conflicts and could carry unfunded local costs. Representative Nuccio pressed repeatedly for detail on whether the requirement creates a financial mandate for local districts; Walker and other proponents said the school teams already exist and the change does not itself add…