One of the greatest injustices dealt to gay and lesbian couples because of the lack of marriage rights, is their inability to sponsor their would-be spouses for citizenship. The Uniting American Families Act would change that allowing "permanent partners" of permanent residents to be sponsored for permanent residency. First introduced in 2000, the bill has stalled in the judiciary committee in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007.