Panel approves bill for immigration reform

last updated 8 January 2015

A bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration system cleared its first major hurdle this week when the Senate Judiciary Committee approved it and sent it on to the full Senate for debate. Republicans Jeff Flake, Lindsey Graham, and Orrin Hatch joined the panel’s 10 Democrats to vote 13 to 5 in favor of the bill—but only after the committee agreed not to add a controversial amendment that would have added protections for same-sex couples. If passed, the legislation would give legal status to around 11 million undocumented workers, open up a 13-year path to citizenship, and require new border-security policies. The bill will now head to the Senate, where debate is expected to begin next month.