Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman today praised the Senate’s final adoption of the fiscal year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill.  Working with Senate colleagues on the appropriations committee, Dodd and Lieberman successfully secured almost $5.3 million for a variety of initiatives aimed at improving health care, education, employment, and the arts in Connecticut.  The bill invests $150 million in education, college affordability, health care, biomedical research, and job training across the country. 

More than $7 million will help Connecticut’s most vulnerable citizens

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today announced that he was pleased Connecticut will receive more than $7 million in energy assistance to help eligible low income homeowners and renters meet their home energy costs. The grants were announced today by Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt.

“I am proud to welcome Michael Hogan as the 14th President of the University of Connecticut. Dr. Hogan has been described as an ‘academic decathlete’; at the University of Iowa, he distinguished himself as Vice President and Provost across a wide variety of fields.  In his new role, I have no doubt that he’ll continue UConn’s rise to the top tier of public research universities, and I wish him all the best in Storrs.”

“Today we are another step closer to ensuring that the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor will be preserved and enjoyed for years to come.  ‘The Last Green Valley,’ as the corridor is often called, is one of the most extraordinary rural landscapes in the Northeast, and I commend my colleagues on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee for recognizing its value and approving legislation to extend its designation as a National Heritage Corridor.  I take great pride in supporting efforts to make this region a self-sustaining heritage area, and will continue to work toward passage of this legislation in the full Senate.”

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today announced a multi-million dollar grant to the Connecticut Transportation Institute (CTI) at the University of Connecticut. CTI has been selected as a National Center of Excellence for Transportation Security, one of six charter programs to receive a combined $72 million over four years in homeland security grants. For 33 years, CTI has been a national leader on transportation issues ranging from clean fuels, to mass transit and smart growth, to the response of infrastructure to extreme events.

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.

Chairman Akaka and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of S.1182, the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act of 2007. I would like first to acknowledge the absence of Senator Thomas; this is the first hearing of the Subcommittee since his passing. Today we remember his dedication and service to Wyoming and the country, not least in his capacity here on the Subcommittee.

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.

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.

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.