December 16, 2005
Washington, D. C. -- U. S. Senate Banking Chairman Richard Shelby, Ranking Member Paul Sarbanes, Sen. Bob Bennett and Sen. Christopher Dodd today commented on the agreement between the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program.

November 18, 2005
WASHINGTON - Senator Chris Dodd, author of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) of 2002, issued the following statement after the Senate approved his legislation to extend TRIA after it expires at the end of 2005:

November 18, 2005
WASHINGTON - The Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Conference Committee today approved a measure that, thanks in part to the efforts of Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, will provide funding to help improve surface transportation, rail transit and promote affordable housing and community development in Connecticut and across the country. Dodd and Lieberman worked with their Senate and House colleagues to ensure that funds for a number of Connecticut projects remained in the bill providing more than $55 million in new federal funds for transportation and housing initiatives statewide.

Senator Dodd is working to strengthen and improve Connecticut and to make a real difference in people’s lives. Here are some examples of the investments Senator Dodd has been able to secure for the Greater Hartford region.

Appropriations | Senator Dodd in Greater Hartford

Homeland Security

$3,362,817 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal years 2004 and 2005, awards made possible by the FIRE Act of 2000, a law authored by Senator Dodd that gives local fire departments the ability to purchase new equipment, hire new personnel, and initiate education and training programs.

$1,700,000 in FY 2006 for the city of Hartford to construct a new municipal public safety complex north of downtown.

Economic Development/Job Preservation

$10,000,000 in FY 2006 for the Connecticut Museum of Science and Exploration to construct a pedestrian plaza that will connect the proposed science museum with the Connecticut Convention Center.

$750,000 since FY 2004 for the Mark Twain House to undertake renovations of historic properties abutting the museum on Forest Street in Hartford.

$600,000 in since FY 2005 for the Institute for Technology and Business Development in New Britain. Managed by Central Connecticut State University, the ITBD seeks to revitalize Connecticut’s manufacturing industry by offering training and technical assistance to small manufacturing firms and companies within the state.

Transportation

$83,500,000 since FY 1998 for the proposed Hartford-New Britain Busway, which will connect downtown Hartford and downtown New Britain via West Hartford and Newington.

$19,000,000 since FY 2002 for street improvements and parking garages associated with the Adriaen’s Landing redevelopment project in Hartford.

$10,250,000 since FY 1998 for the Connecticut Jobs Access Program, which provides transportation to low-income residents, most of whom live in urban areas and work in suburban areas.

$4,600,000 since FY 2004 for road improvements associated with the Coltsville redevelopment project in Hartford.

$3,800,000 in FY 2005 for the Connecticut Department of Transportation to relocate Route 72 in Bristol.

$3,800,000 in FY 2005 for the Connecticut Department of Transportation to renovate a bus maintenance facility in Hartford.

$3,335,000 in FY 2005 to reconstruct and lengthen Mark Twain Drive between Albany Avenue and the University of Hartford campus in Hartford.

$3,310,000 in FY 2005 for the replacement of the South Maple Street bridge in Enfield.

$3,000,000 in FY 2004 for the Connecticut Department of Transportation to purchase new buses for use statewide.

$2,875,000 since FY 2003 for the Hartford Downtown Circulator – a transit service that links key attractions, businesses, hotels and transportation centers in downtown Hartford.

$2,000,000 in FY 2005 to reconstruct Arch Street in the vicinity of Adriaen’s Landing in Hartford.

$2,000,000 in FT 2005 to make safety improvements to Broad Street in New Britain.

$750,000 in FY 2004 for operational improvements to the interchange between Interstate 84 and Route 2 in East Hartford.

$250,000 in FY 2005 to construct a new access road to Riverfront Park in Glastonbury.

$250,000 in FY 2005 for the construction of a recreational trail connecting Cheshire and Southington.

$200,000 in FY 2005 for upgrades to the Powder Hollow Bridge connecting Interstate 91 and Route 190 in Enfield.

Education

$865,000 since FY 1998 for the University of Hartford to construct a new performing arts center on Albany Avenue in the North End of Hartford.

$800,000 since FY 2004 for the Connecticut State University Teacher Training Initiative. This effort involves training future teachers who will work in Connecticut public school systems. The goal is to reduce an expected shortage of teachers in the coming years.

$550,000 since FY 1998 for the Bushnell’s Partners Program, which offers arts education classes to low-income students in Hartford.

$100,000 in FY 2006 for Klingberg Family Centers in New Britain to support educational programs that reduce juvenile delinquency in its residential and day student populations.

Health

$1,000,000 in FY 2005 for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to construct a new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and to purchase a dedicated MRI scanner.

$500,000 in FY 2004 for Hartford Hospital to enhance its cardiology services by constructing a diagnostic electrophysiology laboratory.

Energy

$500,000 in FY 2006 for Saint Joseph College in West Hartford to develop a clean-burning alternative source of energy for its main campus.

Social Services

$400,000 in FY 2005 for the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies’ Employment Success Program, a statewide initiative that works in 90 locations with low-income Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) recipients to find sustainable and permanent employment in the Connecticut job market.

$250,000 in FY 2005 to assist Foodshare in the construction of a new food distribution facility in the Windsor area. read more...

November 16, 2005
Washington D.C. - The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today approved legislation authored by Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman examining whether the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook should be designated a Wild and Scenic River. The Senators' legislation authorizes a study by the National Park Service to identify the river's cultural, natural and recreational benefits and the various ways to protect the area from public development that would have a negative impact on the river's water quality.

"The Farmington River and Salmon Brook are environmental gems. Both should be protected and preserved," said Dodd who testified before the committee on behalf of the bill in September. "This measure is the first step in ensuring that future generations are able to enjoy the beauty and wonder of these waterways."

"Farmington River and Salmon Brook mean so much to so many people in Connecticut, and we must do all we can to preserve them," Lieberman said. "This legislation is critical to helping accomplish that, so we can enjoy them for years to come. I am thrilled to continue our previous work to preserve this invaluable system of waterways."

Concerns have increased recently that the Farmington River is beginning to show evidence of declining water quality. Designation as a Wild and Scenic River would ensure that the river and surrounding watershed are protected under a locally controlled river management plan, which works to preserve a river's natural and significant resources.

In 1994, legislation was passed that designated 14 miles of the Upper Farmington River as a Wild and Scenic Partnership River. According to a report by the North Carolina State University, the Upper Farmington has seen both economic and recreational benefits as a result of the added federal protection it enjoys from the Wild and Scenic Partnership. The Senators' legislation has been introduced in order to provide the same protections to Lower Farmington River that were made available to the Upper Farmington River.

The Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2005 is supported by the Farmington Land Trust, the Farmington River Watershed Association and many towns surrounding the area. The Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook is a 40 mile stretch between the Lower Collinsville Dam in Burlington and the Rainbow Dam in Windsor.

November 15, 2005
WASHINGTON, D. C. - The Senate Banking Committee today announced an agreement on legislation that will extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. The bipartisan bill is the result of a collaboration among Banking Committee Chairman Shelby, Senator Dodd, Senator Bennett and Ranking Member Sarbanes. A date for the mark-up of the bill will be announced shortly.

Chairman Shelby said,

Senators Applaud Senate-House Agreements on Two Major Appropriations Bills

November 9, 2005
WASHINGTON – The Senate and House have reached an agreement on two appropriations bills that will provide $15,945,000 in federal funding for important Connecticut initiatives in fiscal year 2006, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman announced today. Dodd and Lieberman worked to ensure that resources for a number of Connecticut initiatives were included in both the Commerce, Justice, Science and State and the Energy & Water appropriations bills.

Senator Dodd is working to strengthen and improve Connecticut and to make a real difference in people’s lives. Here are some examples of the investments Senator Dodd has been able to secure for Hartford County.

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Plans to Reintroduce Measure to Reform No Child Left Behind Initiative

Hartford – Standing with teachers and school administrators, Senator Chris Dodd today announced that he will reintroduce an initiative to help Connecticut and other states successfully implement and improve the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. This law, which was signed into law by President Bush three years ago to ensure that teachers and students were held to higher accountability standards, has been greatly underfunded and implemented inflexibly by the Bush Administration.

Downtown Hartford is in the midst of an important revival. Business is picking up. The Adriaen’s Landing project on the riverfront, including a brand-new convention center and hotel, is set for completion next year. The Hartford Civic Center Mall is undergoing major renovations, and new apartments are being built in the area, as well.

This week’s opening of the Charter Oak Marketplace, though, is an especially welcome piece of news. It’s a sign that Hartford’s renaissance is spreading beyond downtown and into communities that have been hit hardest by tough economic times. It will create 800 new jobs, most of which will go to local residents. It will fill a critical gap in the community by giving residents of the Behind the Rocks Neighborhood a convenient and safe place to shop, eat, and spend time with family and friends. Next to the retail stores, a new federal Job Corps center will serve the community by providing a place for young people to learn the skills they will need to start a career. And if the Charter Oak Marketplace proves to be a success, more development in the area should follow.