Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Representative Al Green (TX-9) today introduced a resolution honoring the 100^th anniversary of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).  The resolution enjoys bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.   

“The NAACP has been instrumental in advancing the cause of civil rights throughout its rich history,” said Dodd.  “Last week we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and witnessed the swearing in of the United States’ first African-American President.  This historic moment offers us the opportunity to reflect on how far we have come in one century, and everything the NAACP has done to make these advances possible.  As we mark this historic anniversary, I look forward to continue working with the NAACP to ensure all Americans have equal rights.”

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement after the Senate approved “The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act” tonight:

“Millions of Americans depend on the right to equal pay for equal work to earn a livelihood, to feed their families, and to uphold their basic dignity. We ought to make it easier for Americans to exercise that right.  Tonight, that is precisely what we have done.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the author of the Restoring the Constitution Act, applauded President Obama’s executive orders to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay within a year, close secret prisons and revise detention and interrogation policies.

“Today, the United States has taken a first step down the long road toward restoring our moral authority, while ensuring our security.  With President Obama’s signatures, we will be more effective in our efforts to prevent, detain, and prosecute those who would harm us.  In addition, today’s orders have reasserted our nation’s commitment and adherence to the rule of law.

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.