WASHINGTON -- Three Wilton women urged President-elect Barack Obama and Congress Tuesday to enact legislation to protect disabled children from abusive seclusion and restraint practices in public schools.

Connecticut approved such protections in 2007, but a report released Tuesday by the National Disability Rights Network shows that about 40 percent of the states in the nation have no laws, policies or guidelines concerning restraint or seclusion use in schools.

This morning I gave my opening statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the nomination hearing of Secretary-Designate of State, Hillary Clinton. I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on a wide range of issues for many years, and I look forward to our continued partnership and to her leadership as Secretary of State. I have no doubt she will do a remarkable job.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) who has been asked by Chairman Kennedy to serve as his chief deputy for health reform, submitted the following statement for the record at this morning’s HELP Committee hearing for the nomination of Secretary of Health and Human Services-Designate Tom Daschle:

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, today issued the following statement on President-Elect Obama’s announcement of the nomination of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Daschle will also serve as Director of a new White House Office on Health Care Reform and Jeanne Lambrew will serve as its Deputy Director:

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, today announced that October 16, 2008 will be recognized as “Lights on Afterschool Day,” a national celebration of afterschool programs.  This designation was made possible by this weekend’s Senate approval of a resolution introduced by Dodd and Senator John Ensign (D-NV).  Dodd and Ensign are co-chairs of the Senate’s Afterschool Caucus. 

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.

Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families, today convened a subcommittee hearing to examine strengthening the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) as Congress prepares to reauthorize the legislation this year. Dodd heard from several experts as well as a mother and recovering drug addict who has been able to rehabilitate herself in part through Parents Anonymous, a program funded through CAPTA.

D.C. – As part of National Food Allergy Awareness Week, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families, today convened a subcommittee hearing to examine the impact of food allergies on children and families.  Senator Dodd authored and introduced the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act, a bill that addresses the critical need for uniform and consistent food allergy policies in our schools while providing them with the resources they need to implement them.   

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, praised the passage of a Senate Resolution he co-authored with Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), designating the third week of April as “National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week.”