President Donald Trump is looming large at the state Capitol Monday night. The Connecticut House of Representatives approved legislation to curb immigration raids at schools, as well as several other big issues on Monday night.

As the Trump administration ramps up immigration raids, state lawmakers are pushing back. The Connecticut House of Representatives is set to approve new rules about when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can enter schools.

The bill codifies recent State Department of Education guidelines into law.

Each school would have to name an administrator to handle visits from ICE agents. The designated administrator must ask for a warrant signed by a judge – not just an administrative warrant. They must record agents’ names and badge numbers, or collect a business card. And any questions must go to a school district’s legal counsel.

Local boards of education could not punish an administrator for following the guidelines.

“We’re not standing in the way of ICE doing its job; we are protecting our children,” said Fran Rabinowitz, president of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. “And this is the protocol we’ve used for anyone trying to come into our schools.”

Republicans called the law an “unfunded mandate” for local school districts, but top Democrats said they are trying to be proactive.

"I am not aware of ICE going into a school, so I’ll be fair about that,” said House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford).” But if it does happen, you can imagine how scary that's going to be for a child.”

Lawmakers are also approving an additional $40 million for special education. When a child with extensive needs moves into a school district, it can consume up to a third of the district’s budget.

“Addressing special education is also property tax relief,” said Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam. “It’s not just about special education aid. It’s about building stronger education systems for all of our children and reducing the property tax burden on all of our towns.”

But Gov. Ned Lamont is warning that the extra money could bust the state’s spending cap – and potentially even draw a veto.

“We’re already over the spending cap this year,” said House Republican leader Vin Candelora (R-North Branford). “That was put into motion when the Democrats and the governor decided to not make budget adjustments last year.”

But top Democrats insist the money is there.

“Room in the budget exists and the Legislature has the full authority to spend it,” Senate Democrats said in a statement. “This is Connecticut, not Washington, D.C.”

At the college level, lawmakers plan to let the University of Connecticut pay student-athletes. Beginning in April, the NCAA is expected to allow most Division I schools to enter in “revenue-sharing” agreements with players.

UConn recently asked for a change in state law to stay competitive.

“Understanding the need for transparency, we are happy to report the total amount of revenue shared with student athletes and the number of student athletes receiving revenue sharing each year,” UConn athletic director David Benedict told lawmakers on Jan. 30. “However, we do ask that individual contracts are protected to ensure student privacy.”

The legislation shields individual players’ compensation deals – and also stipulates that the money cannot come from taxpayers.

Lawmakers are also cracking down on drones made in China and Russia.

State police agencies would be banned from buying them by Oct. 1, and must stop using existing ones two years later, in 2027. Local police and fire departments would have to stop using them by October 2028 – although chiefs could issue an emergency waiver until 2034.

The proposal failed last year after local police agencies raised concerns.

The bill would also ban non-commercial drones from flying below 250 feet over “critical infrastructure” like power plants, police agencies, hospitals and wastewater treatment facilities.

The two bills also:

“They’re serving people who are directly under attack right now,” said House Democratic leader Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford).

The legislation is being voted on as “emergency certification” bills, meaning they do not have to go through the normal public hearing process.

Neither bill will get final approval until Tuesday, when the Connecticut Senate votes.