Sen. Dodd Lauded for Helping People with Disabilities

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, a longtime advocate for people with disabilities and author of a law this year to protect nursing home residents from coronavirus by allowing them to receive care in their homes, was recognized for his legislative leadership by Disability Rights California.

“The board of Disability Rights California is pleased to recognize Sen. Dodd as one of our legislative leaders of the year,” said Andrew Imparato, the organization’s executive director. “Sen. Dodd has a long history of supporting disability rights issues and supporting persons with disabilities. We appreciate his leadership and commitment to inclusiveness of all persons and ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities are advanced.”

Sen. Dodd was recognized alongside Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and others in a virtual event hosted by Disability Rights California. Each year, the organization honors legislators who do the most to further the rights of people with disabilities.

“We must do all we can to protect our most vulnerable populations, especially as the Covid-19 pandemic continues its deadly toll,” said Sen. Dodd, D-Napa. “We simply must look out for their safety. I’m proud to be recognized for my work by Disability Rights California.”

In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 214, written by Sen. Dodd, allowing low-income seniors and people with disabilities to receive support in making the transition from nursing facilities to receiving care in their homes. SB 214 allows for the expansion of an existing program, California Community Transitions, which successfully transitioned 3,629 from institutional settings since 2007. In addition to getting people into the most inclusive setting possible, the program creates an average savings of $60,000 per person per year.

Sen. Dodd last year wrote SB 167, a new law that helps low-income people on life-support equipment to receive backup power during wildfire-driven power shutoffs. Earlier this year, he introduced follow-up legislation, SB 862, which would have required utilities such as PG&E to pay for community resource centers for vulnerable people.

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Senator Bill Dodd represents California’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Sacramento, and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.