The Hill News

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said his plans for leaving the Senate include "no lobbying," according to an interview published Monday.

Dodd, the chairman of the influential Senate Banking Committee, said he wouldn't be moving to K Street to join the ranks of former lawmakers-turned lobbyists, who cash in after leaving office.

"No lobbying, no lobbying," Dodd told The Connecticut Mirror of his plans for work after he retires from the Senate when his term ends in early January.

Dodd will have served in the Senate for 36 years by then, making him one of the most veteran and well-connected alumni of the upper chamber. With a lobbying frenzy under way to shape the implementation of Wall Street reform legislation, Dodd, who authored the bill, could be a valuable asset to any organi! zation looking to shape the law.

The Connecticut Democrat has said he wishes to spend more time with his young children, though he would have almost certainly faced a tough reelection challenge. His name has also been included among the candidates for other top positions in President Obama's Cabinet, should some of the current Cabinet officers abandon their positions at some point.