Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) praised yesterday’s enactment of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act.  The legislation, introduced in the Senate by Dodd, will provide the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations with the authority needed to effectively investigate and prosecute unsolved Civil Rights Era-murders. The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act was named after Emmett Till, a teenager who was mutilated and murdered while on a summer vacation in Money, Mississippi in 1955. Public outrage surrounding the case helped to propel the inception of the modern-day Civil Rights movement in America.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) applauded Senate passage of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act today.  The legislation, authored by Dodd, will provide the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations with the authority needed to effectively investigate and prosecute unsolved Civil Rights Era-murders. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) made the following statement on the Senate’s decision to delay consideration of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).       

“I’m pleased that consideration of the FISA Amendments Act has been delayed until after the 4^th of July recess. I urge my colleagues to take this time to listen to their constituents and consider the dangerous precedent that would be set by granting retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies that may have engaged in President Bush’s illegal wiretapping program.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) released the following statement today in response to the announcement that the Senate this week will consider the compromise legislation that would reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) this week.

“This is a deeply flawed bill, which does nothing more than offer retroactive immunity by another name. We strongly urge our colleagues to reject this so-called ‘compromise’ legislation and oppose any efforts to consider this bill in its current form. We will oppose efforts to end debate on this bill as long as it provides retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that may have participated in the President’s warrantless wiretapping program, and as long as it fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans.

“If the Senate does proceed to this legislation, our immediate response will be to offer an amendment that strips the retroactive immunity provision out of the bill. We hope our colleagues will join us in supporting Americans’ civil liberties by opposing retroactive immunity and rejecting this so-called ‘compromise’ legislation.”

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement commemorating the 44^th anniversary of the murders of three young civil rights workers – James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner – in Nashoba County, Mississippi.

“On June 21, 1964, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were brutally beaten and murdered by a gang of KKK members because of their work to register black voters in rural Mississippi. It took decades, but in 2005, the ringleader in these brutal killings was finally brought to justice and will live the rest of his life behind bars. But while Edgar Ray Killen was eventually convicted for the murder of these three young men, many of these heinous Civil Rights era crimes remain unsolved, and their perpetrators remain unpunished. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today made the following statement in response to the compromise reached on the legislation that would reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): 

“I cannot support the so-called ‘compromise’ legislation announced today.  This bill would not hold the telecommunications companies that participated in the President’s warrantless wiretapping program accountable for their actions.  Instead, it would simply offer retroactive immunity by another name. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and author of the Restoring the Constitution Act, released the following statement today on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on those held at Guantanamo.

"Today’s decision by the Supreme Court providing the right to habeas corpus for those detained at Guantanamo Bay once again demonstrates President Bush’s failure to respect the rule of law and uphold our Constitution. The Court made the right decision in rejecting the Bush Administration’s unprecedented efforts to undermine the most fundamental tenets of our society.

Letter to Congressional Leaders Working on FISA Update Asks to Include Provisions Protecting Americans’ Privacy, Not Grant Retroactive Immunity

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) are urging Congressional Democratic leaders working to finalize the FISA Amendments Act to include provisions to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans and not to grant retroactive immunity to companies that allegedly cooperated in the president’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program.  Feingold and Dodd, who led the fight in the Senate against the immunity provision and other provisions containing overbroad, unchecked powers for the executive branch, wrote the following letter amidst reports that negotiations on FISA legislation may be nearing completion in the House.

Forty years ago, seven days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act of 1968 ("Civil Rights Act"). The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. After the act, neighborhoods could no longer be designated 'whites only' and restrictive racial covenants were outlawed. All Americans were given equal rights to the sale, rent, lease, and finance of their home in all housing markets. Senate Democrats are committed to safeguarding those rights. Senator Richard Durbin said, "If we're really going to strive for the kind of opportunity which is the hallmark of America, we really have to talk about economic opportunity. That means making certain that people have an opportunity for a job that gives them a chance to raise their family and a decent place to live in a safe neighborhood. That's why the Fair Housing Act is so important."

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today made the following statement in honor of Equal Pay Day. Dodd is a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and an original sponsor of The Fair Pay Restoration Act, a bill that would restore the clear intent of Congress that workers must have a reasonable time to file a pay discrimination claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.