Nadler, Leahy Reintroduce UAFA in House and Senate!
Original Cosponsor Push Yields Excellent Results
In a Valentine’s Day gift to binational gay and lesbian couples, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-8) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) reintroduced the Uniting American Families Act.
Kudos and thank you to all of you who called your Representative to ask him or her to be an original cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act of 2009 (UAFA). Thanks to you, there are 75 original cosponsors in the House.
This is five more original cosponsors than we had at introduction in the last Congress – and the bill wasn’t introduced until May! We will continue to press members of Congress to cosponsor until we reach last year’s level (119) and beyond.
In the Senate, Senator Leahy introduced UAFA simultaneously – with fourteen original cosponsors, including six from the Senate Judiciary Committee, the committee of jurisdiction over immigration. Leahy introduced the bill by himself in the last Congress and eventually brought on eighteen additional cosponsors.
Rep. Nadler said as he introduced the bill today:
It should be an outrage to all Americans that our government continues to deny one set of citizens the fundamental rights enjoyed by the rest of its citizens. It is time that we as a society finally acknowledge that a committed, loving family is a committed, loving family, no matter whether a couple is gay or straight. It makes no difference. We should be encouraging and rewarding stable families rather than sweeping them into the margins. We must now pass UAFA, the Uniting American Families Act, and grant gay and lesbian binational families the same legal protections—and the same human dignity—as other Americans.
Senator Leahy issued this statement as he introduced the Senate version of the bill:
Like many people across the country, there are Vermonters whose partners are foreign nationals and who feel abandoned by our laws in this area. The promotion of family unity has long been part of federal immigration policy, and we should honor that principle by providing all Americans the opportunity to be with their loved ones. I hope all Senators will join me in supporting equality for all Americans and their loved ones.
In addition to commending you for calling your Representatives, we’d like to thank the immigration rights, LGBT, and labor groups who are part of Immigration Equality’s UAFA Working Group who helped reach out to members of Congress. A big shout-out goes to PFLAG, the Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, who reached out to their hundreds of thousands of members to help in the effort.
Finally, our D.C. interns, Liz Zack and Andrew Merrill, worked around the clock all week to email, call, and then drop by the offices of all of the Representatives who were cosponsors in the last Congress. They have added real muscle to our Washington team.
We will continue to reach out to Representatives and Senators to join as UAFA cosponsors (and to thank the ones who have). Coming up on this blog in the next few days:
1 – a link to the Congressional website with the bill and list of cosponsors (when it’s posted)
2 – a web-based letter-writing campaign to Representatives and Senators to continue to ask them to cosponsor UAFA, and
3 – an audiotape of the press conference Immigration Equality held today with Representative Nadler, two binational couples, and representatives of the Human Rights Campaign and Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
yay! keeping my fingers crossed that this is the year.
Comment by tyler — February 12, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
Hey guys….let’s work together to make all our binational couples enjoy the same rites as hetrosexual ones. Retore equality & Stop discrimination!!!!
Comment by Kim — February 12, 2009 @ 7:51 pm
Other than sending letters to senator or rep., maybe we should also send letters to Mr. President and Mr. Vice President thru the following weblink:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/mypolicy
Remember to click on “Civil Right” before u send it
Comment by Kim — February 12, 2009 @ 8:27 pm
Let’s do it together. Our hope & my future in your hand. I really hope i can take my partner to where i came from & Travel together. Now, i am stuck here, can’t go nowhere. because, the federal government doesn’t recongize our marriage. UK, Canada…etc lots of country allow sponsor their partner, Those’re the True “Human Right, Civil Right and Democracy”
My partner paid TAX, but, no right to sponsor me because of the federal law. What is Human Right about?? Civil Right about?? or Democracy about???
Comment by Ken — February 12, 2009 @ 10:46 pm
Let’s really march hand-in-hand. My partner of Germany and I are holding our breaths. We all deserve this wonderful opportunity for freedom from hate and limitation, simply because we don’t hate and limit others by sharing our talents and willingness to work with the rest of the world community in all walks of life.
Comment by Michael — February 12, 2009 @ 10:54 pm
Let’s keep fighting for this cause. Hopefully the change is finally here!
Comment by Rafael — February 13, 2009 @ 6:02 am
i can’t help but feel a growing hope, even though i know there is so much more work to be done! and this was the first time i ever called an elected official like this…kind of exciting to be a part of the process. as well as seeing how my email got forwarded on to lots of people i don’t know…
will be checking the blog to see the next steps!
props from exile in argentina
Comment by kati — February 13, 2009 @ 7:47 am
my Rep is in. let’s make this happen this year!!!
Comment by Paulie — February 13, 2009 @ 9:44 am
This is what we need, the same freedom to love as straight people, got my fingers and toes crosse, start the visualization and get the rest of the world on board.
Kate x
Comment by Kate Moss — February 13, 2009 @ 11:24 am
This is terrific news. So, now that the bill is introduced, what are the next steps ‘ what kind of timeline does it take for a bill to pass and become law
Comment by Thom Richardson — February 13, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
I really hope it’ll pass this congress. Is it just me or is 14 initial senatorial cosponsors a high number?
Comment by Emma — February 13, 2009 @ 1:14 pm
This is good news if it does not end up stalled in committee again. We are tired of living in France and wish we could move back home this year. Living in exile is better than separation but it is not easy. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of us could choose where we want to live and not face the constant threat of separation.
Comment by Allen — February 14, 2009 @ 8:50 am
My Rep. is in!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you SO MUCH IE for all the amazing work you guys do! THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU! My partner and I for the first time are hands on taking part of making this change possible. Complaining and remaining victimized won’t change our situation! We must fight for what is our right. I committed myself to work hard so this bill could become the law that would grant me peace of mind.
Comment by Acuario1981 — February 14, 2009 @ 12:15 pm
THIS IS THE YEAR TO PASS THIS.
2010 has major elections that may change the color of the senate and the house.
2011 and 2012 are Presidential Election Years, it will be much harder to bring on this issue. And, who knows who will be the next president.
The bottom line is we have waited for so long and have been silent for too long. THIS IS THE 1ST STEP TO EQAULITY.
Just hoping won’t work. Tell everyone you know to support this and act on it. How can we let more GLBT organizations spread the words??
Comment by M. Walkins — February 14, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
Thank you for your communication and work on our behalf. I have worked as a professor for 23 years, have completed many university degrees, and taught many, many students yet I do not have any rights when it comes to my family. When my partner comes here, we have to get him a student visa and pay an unbelievable amount of money each semester…. The UAFA Act is the best hope we have experienced in quite some time. Please keep calling those senators and reps. Gregory, Atlanta
Comment by Gregory — February 14, 2009 @ 8:56 pm
Kim, thanks for the link (http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/mypolicy). I think it’s a great idea; I will spread the word and ask all my friends to fill out the form and hit send
Comment by Paulie — February 18, 2009 @ 9:53 am
Greg. I feel for you. My partner for the last 13 years will soon have to leave the country. His country does not have civil union. I cannot work there, nor speak the language. We are devastated…..
Comment by Bill — February 18, 2009 @ 6:43 pm
Oh God, PLEASE let it pass this time. I have to leave the country AGAIN in April and can only come back in October. What are the chances UAFA might pass before April 17th?? *sigh* So, so tired of this.
Comment by Kyle — February 19, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
How would they feel if this was their burden.. I am about to watch the love of my life leave again.. We obey the rules in hope that the USA will erase all prejudice and allow us the same rights. LEts make this change.. I will keep spreading the word.. SOS this is stress on us financially and emotionally.. We just want to live and be happy under one roof not 1000’s of miles apart + a ocean..
Comment by Shannon Fortner — March 22, 2009 @ 9:19 am
I have been reading a lot on how people that opose gay marriage talked about how much they want to keep “marriage” reserved for a man and a woman. Well, here is how I see it. If they want to keep the stinking marriage to themselve, they can have it because it doesn’t mean anything anymore to people that can have it. People get marriaged just to get divorce later have no respect to marriage. We all know keeping marriage from homosexual will not save any marriages. It has already been ruined by those that currently can get married under the law… you know who I am refering to.
Lets call gay marriage something else but give us the full rights. If they mean what they say about supporting equality just not marriage is true.
Do I get a second on that?
Comment by malalan — March 24, 2009 @ 1:59 am