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June 7, 2006
Mr. President, if I can, I wanted to spend a couple of minutes on a matter that this body voted on this morning. I was unavoidably absent this morning at a family matter in Rhode Island, so I was not here for the vote. But I wanted to just take a minute or so here to say to my colleagues and to others that had I been present this morning, I would have voted no on the motion for cloture, and had cloture been invoked, I would have voted against the amendment. I am speaking of the proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriages.

May 18, 2006
Washington, D.C.-Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA), Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) today introduced the Free Flow of Information Act, a bill seeking to protect the public's right to information through a free press. This legislation would provide appropriate protections for professional journalists and their employers from having to reveal information that a journalist learned under a promise of confidentiality and in the course of carrying out news-gathering functions.

May 18, 2006
Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues Senator Lugar and Senator Specter to speak in support of the Free Flow of Information Act of 2006.

May 11, 2006

“Our nation needs to be vigilant in protecting our citizens from terrorist attacks. There should be no greater responsibility than working to keep our nation safe from harm. But I also believe that we need to protect and preserve the basic freedoms and liberties that define our nation and our national character. The fact that a massive and secret collection of personal information about average Americans all across the nation apparently is taking place without any oversight or scrutiny is troubling, to say the least.

April, 27 2006
“Our nation stands for the principle of equal justice for all. Yet for far too long, many Americans have been denied equal justice – and many despicable criminals have not been held accountable,” said U.S. Senator Chris Dodd. “I’m hopeful this measure will help bring to justice people who perpetrated heinous crimes sometimes because of racial hatred. It cannot bring back and make whole those who suffered and died by a racist’s criminal hand. But it can at least reaffirm our nation’s commitment to seek the truth and make equal justice a reality.”

March 9, 2006
Senator Chris Dodd gave the opening remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Symposium on the Voting Rights Act. Senator Dodd called on Congress to work to ensure that every eligible voter’s ballot is cast and counted.

February 15, 2006
Washington, D.C. – Senators Chris Dodd and Trent Lott today announced that their legislation to help Gulf Coast states hold timely elections passed the Senate.

“We’ve all seen the devastating affects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and it’s essential that we do everything possible to help families and communities rebuild,” said Dodd. “And part of this rebuilding effort must include conducting fair and timely elections. While it might not be the first thing on the minds of many rebuilding in the Gulf Coast region, elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and must continue through this difficult time. Some elections have already been postponed because the infrastructure has been severely damaged or simply washed away. This funding will help rebuild polling places, replace or repair voting systems, and locate poll workers and voters.”

I’m so glad that I went to Coretta Scott King’s funeral. I admire, as most Americans do, the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, but I also really admire Coretta Scott King. It’s hard for people to remember this, but Dr. King died before he reached the age of 40, and for the last 38 years, Mrs. King has carried on the work of her husband. Her husband’s civil rights work lasted for about fifteen years, and his most important work occurred in the last few years of his life. Mrs. King sustained that work for almost four decades after her husband’s death, and did it with such grace, such style, and such dignity. That was the reason there was such an outpouring of people from across the United States, representing almost every walk of life, at the church service outside of Atlanta.