Dodd Remains Busy...

This week, Senator Dodd has been working on a number of bills, and still managing to find the time to give interviews about the battle for the Democratic nomination. As of last Thursday, Dodd has been pushing for changes in the Act he helped create over 10 years ago, the Family Medical Leave Act. Although getting the act passed then was a triumph in itself, Dodd now plans to re-vamp it, saying that it’s reforms don’t extend as far as he’d like. In his most prominent change to the legislation, he wants to include a section that would give paid leave to workers who have encountered difficulties on the job and are unable to return to work. In finance, Dodd has also been making waves, with a new plan co-authored with Representative Barney Frank that according to CNN, outlines an idea where over “$300 billion in loan guarantees from the Federal Housing Administration to refinance loans that homeowners can't afford as long as the original lender reduces the principal on the loan to 85% of the home's current market value.” Finally, Dodd gave an interview at the end of last week where he weighed in about the fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, saying that they’ve “got to wrap this up. You let it go any longer than that, and you run the risk of doing such damage that the nomination won't be worth much."

The econom and Dodd

Last Friday Sen. Dodd has voiced his concern about Bush's pick about President Bush"s pick for the new Sectary of Housing and Development, citing inexperience about housing as the reason for his concern. Thursday Sen Dodd stated that the only way to help the U.S. housing problem would to have large-scale government intervention and Sen. Dodd says that a deal must be made in the upcoming weeks if the Housing Crisis is to be solved. In the student-loan market Sen. Dodd testified before a senate hearing that providers of both Federally guaranteed loans and private have been pulling out from the market. Sen. Dodd has vowed to protect the student-loan market and has moved to make Federal Finance Banking funds available for said purpose. In hearings about flood insurance Sen. Dodd has opposed expansion to cover wind damage citing that the cost is too high to be practical Thursday Sen. Dodd received Holy Communion at Nationals Park during the Papal Mass.