Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced today that fire departments in several Connecticut towns have been awarded federal grants totaling more than $2 million.  The funds will go to improving operations and safety at their facilities, acquiring new vehicles, and hiring additional personnel. The grants were made possible by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, which provide aid to first-responder programs nationwide with the aim of improving the equipment and staffing levels in order to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of the first-responders themselves.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today announced the Senate’s passage of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.  The legislation includes four key bills that will designate two new trails and allow for expanded activities at two national parks.

It had been a week of winning - something Middletown resident Ethel Peltz said she has rarely done in her 80-something years - win things.

First she attended a December luncheon with Brad Davis and won a door prize - a nice bottle of white wine in a pretty cobalt blue bottle that everyone told her was just as nice as its contents.

I wanted to share a great story about one of the CT Inauguration ticket lottery winners who will be joining me in DC next week.

From the Hartford Courant:

Tickets to Inauguration a Thrill for Middletown Resident

By Melissa Pionzio

It had been a week of winning - something Middletown resident Ethel Peltz said she has rarely done in her 80-something years - win things.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chris Dodd hopes to bring the nation's next health care czar to Connecticut later this month as Democrats look to improve access and affordability to a system they have long sought to reform.

Dodd said Wednesday that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has agreed, if scheduling permits, to join him on a "listening tour" in Connecticut to hear what the state's insurance, businesses and health care leaders as well as ordinary citizens may recommend.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced today that fire departments in Farmington, Wallingford, Union, Meriden, Westport, and Woodstock have been awarded federal grants totaling more than $400,000. The funds will go to improving operations and safety at their facilities. The grants were made possible by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program, which provides aid to first-responder programs nationwide with the aim of providing better equipment to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of the first-responders themselves. In fiscal year 2008, the AFG program has provided approximately $500 million in nationwide grants.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, welcomed new federal funding for Connecticut organizations that provide counseling and legal assistance to families facing the threat of foreclosure.  The grants, which were announced today by NeighborWorks America, will provide $681,230 to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and $202,536 to the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven.  Several national organizations with offices in Connecticut will also receive large grants. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, will hear testimony from James Fleming, the president of the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association, at the Committee’s second hearing to examine the state of America’s automobile industry on Thursday morning. 

As recent news reports show that foreclosures in Connecticut have risen 134% in the month of October, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, held an oversight hearing today on the implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, focusing on foreclosure prevention efforts, ensuring that lenders are using the federal funds for lending, and executive compensation policies.

Senator Chris Dodd and his wife Jackie Clegg Dodd participated in the Connecticut Walk for Food Allergy in Killingworth on Saturday.  Ms Clegg Dodd was the honorary chair of the walk, which is supported by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).

Senator Dodd is a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families.  He is the author of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act, a bill that addresses the critical need for uniform food allergy policies in our schools and early childhood centers while providing the resources schools need to implement them.