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Four New House Co-Sponsors for UAFA – Time to Act Fast

Posted by: Lez Get Real on September 15, 2010.
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Senat...

Melanie Nathan; 09-15-10

Breaking news:  The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) has four new co-sponsors in the House, bringing the total to 128.  For months we have been requesting DC Activists to push for UAFA as a stand alone. Here is yet another opportunity for our so called preeminent LGBT Activist Group, Immigration Equality, to steer UAFA into fast-track.

Senate majority leader Sen. Harry Reid is adding both DADT repeal and the DREAM Act to the Defense Appropriations Bill (DAB) he hopes to pass in the Senate next week.

Sen. Reid announced Tuesday that if Republicans filibuster the National Defense Authorization Act,  he would file for a cloture motion that requires 60 votes in order to move to a debate on the legislation.

Although the is to fund the Department of Defense, Reid said the bill was “especially important” this year because it would address two issues that were “long overdue” — repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the DREAM Act, a bipartisan measure that would create a way for undocumented students who came to America as children to gain permanent residency through higher education or military service.

This significantly  shows that LGBT  Equality and immigration legislation is being added as amendments to a larger bill, addressing both realms at the same time.

While it may not pan out, it could spell hope for UAFA, if we all get right on it and demand our Senators chat with Senator Reid (202) 224-3542.  At the same time we ought to call Senator Reid and ask him to add UAFA to the package.   In any event the discussion of packaging UAFA with other bills, presenting it as a stand alone during a lame duck session all depends on the discussion we invoke NOW!  So wake up everyone lets make this happen.  There is no excuse for a single LGBT Activist not to make this call.

K.T. Drasky of Out4Immigration notes:    “Please call Sen. Reid’s DC office at (202) 224-3542 and ask him to consider adding UAFA to this bill as well. It’s worth a try — and it will increase the dialog about the need to pass UAFA this year! :

The new co-sponsors (and their phone numbers) are listed below. Please take a minute today to call each of them and thank them for their support. They have signed on due to the collective efforts of so many of us working hard to end immigration inequality, including your phone calls, visits to your representatives and the O4I weekly letter writing campaign.”

Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA-43)
Phone: (202) 225-6161

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11)
Phone: (202) 225-1492

Rep. John Hall (D-NY-19)
Phone: (202) 225-5441

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-17)
Phone: (202) 225-5261

Melanie Nathan
nathan@prvatecourts.com
@oblogdeeoblogda
Find me on FaceBook

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14 Responses to Four New House Co-Sponsors for UAFA – Time to Act Fast

  1. Jennifer White Reply

    September 17, 2010 at 6:37 pm

    Senator Reid’s DC voicemail has been full. We can email him at http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

    I talked to a staffer at Senator Robert Menendez’s office today and she said that he is definitely adding UAFA to the CIR bill he’s bringing forward this fall.

  2. Janice Reply

    September 15, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Ok…. my comments keeping disappearing, so here goes again!

    I’m glad to hear this today, but as Mel says, we have to mobilize our efforts now. Next week is too late. We don’t want to regret not doing something now. We have a chance here that we didn’t have before, so come on everyone, let’s get busy with those calls and emails.
    I’m getting onto it now!

    • Melanie Nathan

      September 15, 2010 at 8:08 pm

      yes thanks Janice; please lets spread this around twitter and face book asap; and thanks so much for commenting on site.

    • Bridgette P. LaVictoire

      September 15, 2010 at 8:41 pm

      Janice, your comments had to be approved. I passed them through, but I deleted the redundant ones.

    • Melanie Nathan

      September 15, 2010 at 10:08 pm

      Janice thanks again;

    • FAEN

      September 16, 2010 at 11:17 am

      I’m getting everyone I know to call. Hope we all do the same. Somedays I feel as binationals we should all get together and figure out a strategy.

    • Janice

      September 17, 2010 at 1:40 pm

      @Faen,
      I think you are right there.
      Without the hard work of those who have championed our cause, I wonder whether others really care at all. We get a lot of lip service from those who it seems only care about their jobs and keeping their hefty salaries, so they say words that they think we want to hear, and then when they have what they want, we are casually tossed aside. We are a minority within a minority, but then again so are members of the armed forces who are gay, but so much more is made of the DADT issue. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that all gay issues need to be resolved, but I feel we are often overshadowed by the one or two issues that certain organizations only feel like pursuing. 

  3. Janice Reply

    September 15, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-news-in-toronto/lady-gaga-gets-promise-from-senator-harry-reid

    Just noticed this….maybe Gaga can put in a word for UAFA like she’s done before?

  4. Janice Reply

    September 15, 2010 at 7:50 pm

    That’s a bit of good news that I didn’t think I would be reading today.
    Come on everyone….let’s get going on this, and make our voices heard now. We don’t want to find ourselves after next week wishing that we had made the effort now. 
    We can’t around and assumer everyone else is going to do it…..it’s up to all of us to stand up and be counted!
    I’m getting onto it right now!

    • Janice

      September 15, 2010 at 8:17 pm

      Just tried to leave a comment on IE’s website to get to those who only go there for their info. Has to be approved before it will show. Hmmmm!

    • Melanie Nathan

      September 15, 2010 at 10:10 pm

      Chances are if you left our site on IE they will ban it. I have been banned from their site for over a year since I started criticizing their strategy back in June 2009.

    • Janice

      September 16, 2010 at 10:45 am

      Ah….why does that not surprise me!
      I’ll let you know if they do show it.

      Obviously they don’t like you being outspoken and saying what most of us are thinking and worrying about right now. Well, that’s just tough for them! I’ve had run-ins with HRC on the phone when they haven’t liked me criticizing their tactics and lack of push for anything other than DADT and ENDA. 
      It’s not all about one or issues, it’s about every injustice that we face as a community. 
      Where I come from we call it the “I’m alright Jack” attitude, meaning that as long your problem is solved then everyone else can fend for themselves.
      Doesn’t work that way I’m afraid!

  5. Jennifer White Reply

    September 15, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    Out4Immigration is asking that everyone call Harry Reid’s DC office: (202) 224-3542 and ask him to include the Uniting American Families Act in the Defense Appropriations Bill scheduled to be voted on next week. We have a limited amount of time to do this. We should all call and even send him emails.

  6. FAEN Reply

    September 15, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    Well it’s 4 more than we had. At least I can hold on to this bit of positive news.

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