Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, announced today that Connecticut will receive more than $25 million for communities who have been affected most by the foreclosure crisis.  The funding is provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Program under The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) today joined Senators Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) to celebrate Senate approval of a broad bipartisan mental health parity agreement and expressed their confidence the Congress would enact the legislation before the impending end of the 110th Congress.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today following the announcement that the Administration has agreed to release the remaining contingency funds available for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

“I’m pleased that the President has finally heeded the request that my colleagues and I have been making for months and released all available LIHEAP funding. Low income families in Connecticut received little more than $500 last winter to help with heating bills that could be as high as four times that amount this year. This $7 million in additional heating assistance will go a long way toward helping Connecticut’s low income households heat their homes this coming winter,” said Dodd.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced today that Connecticut resident Mary Beth Bruder, Ph.D., has been named a 2008 Angel in Adoption for her work as an advocate for adopted children with special needs.  Senator Dodd nominated Dr. Bruder for the award, which is presented by The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). CCAI honored Dr. Bruder, along with 180 other Angels, at an awards ceremony and gala event in Washington, DC today.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT-2) visited the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Connecticut this afternoon to meet with children who participate in Mystic Aquarium’s Immersion Presents program.  Senator Dodd and Representative Courtney, who championed funding for this initiative in Congress, also heard from the President of Mystic Aquarium and the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Jack Reed (D-RI) today introduced legislation to help Americans better protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays.  The SUN Act would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strengthen labeling and testing standards for sunscreen products.  Currently, FDA standards require that sunscreen protect against UVB rays, known for causing sunburns and increasing the chance of skin cancer. However, they do not require protection against UVA rays, which are a major cause of skin cancer and premature aging.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, today hailed final Congressional approval of the Higher Education Opportunity Act.  The bill, which was passed by the House and Senate today, contains several initiatives championed by Dodd. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today joined Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Richard Burr (R-NC) in introducing a bipartisan bill which will dramatically improve the way the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protects the safety of the nation’s food supply. The bill, The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, will give FDA new authorities, tools and resources to comprehensively reform the nation’s food safety systems. The bill is also cosponsored by Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN).

Responding to calls from fire prevention and child safety groups across the country, U.S. Senators Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) today introduced the “Protect Children from Dangerous Lighters Act” legislation banning cigarette lighters constructed to look like toys or regular household items.  Commonly referred to as “novelty lighters,” the toy-like devices, which naturally appeal to small children, have been the cause of deadly fires across the country.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), senior member of Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement on tonight’s House-Senate conference approval of the Higher Education Act.  This legislation includes several priorities that Senator Dodd has been advocating, including:

• Significant increases in Pell grants from $4,310 to $6,000 in 2009 and up to $8,000 by 2014;

• Provisions of Senators Dodd’s and Shelby’s “Private Student Loan Transparency and Improvement Act,” which provides new protections for borrowers of private student loans;

• Provisions to control costs, and make it easier for students to pay their tuition.