Senate approves emergency bill on school–immigration response, drone limits, nonprofit grants and college athlete pay

The Connecticut Senate on Feb. 25 passed an emergency-certified bill (House Bill 7066) addressing how school staff should respond to federal immigration authorities, restricting certain drone purchases and flights, granting one-time funds to a slate of nonprofit groups and enabling colleges to negotiate name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and limited revenue shares with student athletes.

Supporters and opponents spent several hours debating whether the package qualified as an emergency and over whether the spending items were time-sensitive. The Senate ultimately approved the bill and sent it on for transmittal to the governor.

Why it matters: The measure combines four distinct policy areas into a single emergency-certified vehicle. Sponsors said a quick, statewide rule for school administrators and new limits on drone equipment are time-sensitive; opponents said the emergency designation short-circuited public hearings and rushed significant policy and spending decisions, including $800,000 noted in the bill for community health services to Planned Parenthood and roughly $2,087,500 allocated via the judicial department for a set of nonprofit grants.

Most important provisions - School interactions with immigration authorities: The bill puts…