September 12, 2007

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today announced the approval of the 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill by a key Senate panel which includes substantial funding for Connecticut’s defense industry.  This bill, which was unanimously approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, contained significant additional funds that will increase submarine production to two submarines per year by 2010 – two years earlier than originally planned by the Navy.  This funding impacts thousands of jobs throughout Connecticut, especially in the southeast region of the state.  The bill also includes substantial investments in current defense systems and research and development activities to ensure U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are outfitted with the quality resources they need to perform their missions

July 20, 2007

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) successfully secured more than $30 million for critical transportation, urban development, and environmental needs in Connecticut. The funding, which was included in the Senate's Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Energy and Water bills, was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week.  The Senators also secured funding for the Women’s Business Development Center in Stamford, CT as part of the Financial Services appropriations bill.

July 11, 2007

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) applauded legislation approved on June 28 by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that will provide funding for afterschool and gang prevention programs for Connecticut youth, equipment upgrades for Connecticut’s public safety systems, and research initiatives at the Institute of Exploration in Mystic, CT, among other things.  Dodd and Lieberman worked to secure funding for Connecticut projects in the bill that will provide more than $4.5 million in new federal funds for initiatives statewide.

July 2, 2007

The Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved legislation that would provide funds for environmental preservation and conservation efforts across Connecticut, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman announced today. Dodd and Lieberman secured funding for a number of Connecticut projects in the appropriations bill that covers the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other independent federal agencies.

June 27, 2007

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced today that the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection will receive a grant for $219,563 from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.  The grant money will be used to compile reports on quota monitoring, stock assessment, development, evaluation of fishery management plans (FMPs) and management measures, and to provide this information to marine staff.  The grant also provides funds for enforcement of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission management plans.

May 28, 2007

 

"Today we honor the thousands and thousands of men and women whose sacrifice has paid for our freedom and safety. Every day America thrives is a silent tribute to them; but today above all, we pause our lives, bow our heads, and remember that all we hold dear is founded on their blood.

 

May 16, 2007

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) secured $ 45 million in authorized spending for Connecticut water resource projects in a bill that passed the Senate today.  The bill, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, gives the Army Corps of Engineers authority to undertake essential water resource studies and to construct and modify water resource projects.

May 9, 2007

Senators Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., announced Wednesday that Connecticut will receive more than $1.3 million in port and transit security grants from the Infrastructure Protection Program within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Bridgeport will receive $869,181, New London, $296,250, and New Haven, $45,703 in port security grant funding. New Britain will receive $129,892 and Rocky Hill $14,163 in grants for bus security. Connecticut will also participate in a $61-million transit security grant program for the New York City metropolitan area.


“Port and transportation security are critical to protecting Connecticut and the rest of our nation,” Dodd said. “These grants will help improve detection of dangerous materials and deal with potential threats. I am pleased that the Department of Homeland Security has provided Connecticut with a much-needed increase in funding for these crucial activities, and hope that we can continue to work with our neighbors to ensure the security of all of our citizens.”


“These grants are essential to strengthening the security of Connecticut’s ports and public transportation systems. The port security grants for Bridgeport, New London and New Haven will help keep dangerous materials out of the country. The bus security grants for New Britain and Rocky Hill will help with screening, explosives detection, and disaster-response exercises so that the citizens of Connecticut can travel peacefully and safely,” Lieberman said. “I also urge New York and the Metropolitan Transit Authority to work closely with Connecticut Department of Transportation officials to make sure that  the entire region's shared transit system, including those portions that run through Connecticut ,are adequately secured through the transit security grant that will go to the tri-state area.”


The funding for Bridgeport, New London and New Haven is part of the federal Port Security Grant (PSG) Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  This year’s port security grants for Connecticut total $1,211,134 – a nearly 83 percent increase over last year’s funding level. The grants are intended to help protect critical infrastructure from terrorism, especially explosives and non-conventional threats that would seriously disrupt commerce and cause a significant loss of life.


The grants for New Britain and Rocky Hill are part of the Intracity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) also administered by FEMA. The grants are used for explosives detection, passenger screening, bus facility security improvements, and better communications among vehicles.

 

May 2, 2007

Connecticut’s Congressional delegation urged the Bush Administration to provide federal relief funds to help repair damage caused by the devastating nor’easter that hit the region last month.  In a letter to President Bush and Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Director Arthur Cleaves, the delegation calls on the administration to grant the state’s request for federal assistance.

March 28, 2007