| Senator Dodd has been honoured for the support he provided to volunteer emergency responders |
Dodd was the Senate sponsor of the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA), which was enacted in 2007.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) named Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) the 2010 Legislator of the Year at the Spring Board Meeting. The NVFC Legislator of the Year award is given annually to a member of the U.S. House or Senate for their support of the nation's volunteer fire service.
"I'd like to thank Senator Dodd for his tireless efforts on behalf of the NVFC and our members," said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg, who presented Dodd with the award on Capitol Hill on April 29. "This award is not only for his work over the course of the past year, but in recognition of all that he has done during his career in the U.S. Senate on behalf of volunteer emergency responders."
Senator Dodd is a co-Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and was one of the authors of the original bills that created the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs. Dodd was the Senate sponsor of the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA), which was enacted in 2007 and exempted certain benefits that volunteer emergency responders receive as recruitment and retention incentives from federal taxation, and he recently introduced legislation to reauthorize VRIPA. Dodd is also the lead Democrat on the Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act (VESRRA), which was introduced on May 5 by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and would clarify how length of service award programs (LOSAPs) are treated under the tax code.
Dodd is retiring at the end of this year after a 30-year career in the U.S. Senate. Learn more about the Legislator of the Year Award and view past recipients at the following link.