Chris Dodd

Murphy Testifies at Banking Hearing in Support of Bill to Provide Housing for People with Disabilities

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) testified on how to expand affordable housing options for seniors and Americans living with disabilities at a Senate Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development hearing. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Banking Committee, joined Murphy in calling for the modernization of federal housing assistance programs to ensure they can meet the needs of low-income residents of Connecticut and the rest of the nation.    » read more »

November 3, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today released his statement from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s hearing on the increasing health costs facing small businesses.

“Health care reform is one of the most important things we can do for small businesses. There are more than 37,000 small businesses in my home state of Connecticut,” said Dodd, a senior member of the HELP Committee. “I am counting on them to lead the charge to create more jobs and grow our economy. And they are counting on us to pass health care reform this year so that they can do so without being strangled by the skyrocketing cost of health care.”

The full text of Dodd’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, is below.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) praised the agreement to ensure that Americans would continue to have access to the Homebuyers Tax Credit. This tax credit is working to turn around the housing market and build economic security for millions of middle class families.

Dodd had joined Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) in pushing to extend the credit.

The final agreement includes Dodd and Isaksons’ provision to extend the credit to people looking to buy a new home after having owned and lived in a home for more than five years. More than 70 percent of existing homeowners will now be eligible to take advantage of this program and use the credit to buy a new home.    » read more »

October 28, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today after President Obama signed into law the Department of Defense Authorization bill, legislation that included the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Amendment. Dodd was an original cosponsor of the underlying legislation, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

“Hate crimes destroy families, damage communities, and offend our core American values,” said Dodd. “The shared values that define us as Americans are stronger than our differences. This legislation makes it clear that in a country where so much unites us, there is simply no place for hatred and discrimination, and I applaud the President for signing this important measure into law today.”    » read more »

October 26, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today after Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the health care reform legislation will include a strong public option.

“I fought for a strong public option – in the HELP Committee and in this merger process – because it is the best way to keep costs low and insurance companies honest,” said Dodd.    » read more »

October 26, 2009 -- Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) will introduce a bill to immediately freeze credit card interest rates on existing balances.

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act enacted in May prevents arbitrary interest rate, fee and finance charge increases on a customer’s existing balance. Unfortunately, credit card companies have been jacking up rates in a last ditch effort to squeeze customers before all of the bill’s provisions can take effect.    » read more »

Joined by Consumer Advocate, Connecticut Consumer who was Unfairly Hit with Overdraft Fees

October 19, 2009 -- At a press conference at Stamford Government Center today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) unveiled The Fairness and Accountability in Receiving (FAIR) Overdraft Coverage Act, a bill to protect Americans from excessive checking account overdraft fees.

Dodd was joined at the event by Attorney Ellery Plotkin, a consumer advocate, and Mario Livieri, a resident of Branford who was unfairly hit with overdraft fees earlier this year.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today announced that Connecticut will receive $20,061,000 from the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The bill has been passed by the House and will now go to the President for his signature.

“This energy and water spending bill will provide important support to Connecticut’s waterways and energy researchers in the areas of fuel cells, bio-energy, and other alternative energy,” said Dodd. “These resources are an investment in Connecticut and our nation’s energy future, and will allow us to move away from our unhealthy dependence on foreign oil.”    » read more »

October 13, 2009 -- Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced a resolution today to empower and strengthen the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“The United States faces an ever-growing array of foreign policy challenges, and in nearly every instance, international development should be part of the solution,” said Dodd, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “An empowered USAID is critical for a strong and effective American foreign and national security policy, and providing USAID with the resources, support, and staff it needs will go a long way towards meeting these important goals.”    » read more »

October 13, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today after the Senate Finance Committee approved health care reform legislation by a vote of 14 to 9. Senator Dodd led the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee earlier this summer when it approved the Affordable Health Choices Act. Now, Dodd, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the Obama Administration will merge the two committee’s bills into one bill.

“Today, we are another unprecedented step closer to providing every American with the quality, affordable health care.    » read more »

October 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today praised the Senate passage of the FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill which contains $5,983,000 for Connecticut. The bill has been passed by the House, and will now go to the President for his signature. The legislation includes funding for vaccine research, food safety programs, and sustainable agriculture development.    » read more »

October 8, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced today that he is working to ensure that unemployment insurance (UI) is extended quickly and fairly to jobless workers in all 50 states, including Connecticut.

“In these challenging economic times, unemployment insurance can be a vital lifeline for so many in Connecticut,” said Dodd. “It is critically important that those hit hard by the recent downturn get the benefits they’ve earned, regardless of the state they live in. I will continue to fight to ensure that Connecticut residents who have lost their jobs are afforded the same number of weeks of coverage that others across the country are receiving.”    » read more »

October 6, 2009 -- Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced today that Connecticut will receive major federal defense funding from the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill, including $2.5 billion to produce 10 additional C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft. The funding will save thousands of jobs at the Pratt & Whitney, which produces F117 engines for the C-17s.    » read more »

October 2, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, submitted the following statement at yesterday’s Committee hearing concerning the global costs and consequences of violence against women.

“For too long, women have gotten short shrift in development and foreign policy. Women’s rights, women’s health, and violence against women have a history as being designated and denigrated as “soft” issues,” said Dodd. “The unassailable truth, however, is that promoting women’s rights, women’s health, and women’s empowerment are not simply idealistic, moral goals. Rather, they are some of our most effective tools in achieving America’s key foreign policy goals and meeting our most difficult challenges.”    » read more »

Legislation named in honor of Wall Street Journal reporter killed on the job in Pakistan

October 1, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today introduced the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, legislation that would direct the State Department to include information relating to freedom of the press worldwide in annual country reports on human rights practices.

The legislation is named in honor of Wall Street Journal South Asia Bureau Chief Daniel Pearl, who in 2002 was kidnapped and brutally murdered by extremists in Pakistan. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 742 journalists have been killed on duty since the organization began tracking these crimes in 1992.    » read more »