LOS ANGELES  Christopher J. Dodd, the former Democratic senator of Connecticut, was named as Hollywood’s top lobbyist on Tuesday, a move that might initially prove tricky because of lobbying restrictions for former members of Congress.

The Motion Picture Association of America, which is counting on Mr. Dodd to revive its diminished influence, announced that he would take over on March 17 as its chairman and chief executive. The job, which will pay about $1.5 million a year, will require Mr. Dodd to push a Hollywood agenda in Washington that includes a more aggressive government stance against piracy and an effort to persuade China to lift limits on the distribution of Western movies.

Six studios are members of the association: Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Brothers. In addition to lobbying efforts, the organization regulates movie advertising and runs the movie rating system.

The association’s power has faded in the years since the retirement in 2004 of its leader of several decades, Jack Valenti, but a reduced operating budget and Silicon Valley’s increasing influence contributed to its problems.