Washington DC – Today, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) introduced the “Reuniting Families Act,” which would give green card holders the same rights as citizens to bring their spouses and children to the US. The bill aims to provide greater stability to legal immigrant families, and is being viewed by many as an attempt to lay the groundwork for more ambitious immigration reforms later this year.

In a statement, Rep. Honda said “Our family-based immigration system has not been updated in 20 years, separating spouses, children and their parents, who have played by the rules, for years, often decades. Our proposed legislation is in line with both American family values and with our short-term need to grow our economy and save taxpayer money.”

The bill is a companion measure to S. 1085, proposed by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) two weeks ago. Sen. Menendez and Rep. Honda both contributed to an impassioned attempt at overhauling immigration policy in 2007, though that effort eventually broke down in the Congress.

Unlike the Senate version, Rep. Honda’s measure contains a provision extending benefits to same-sex couples, which has drawn some criticism from Republicans.

Earlier this year, Rep. Honda also introduced H.Res.267, honoring the Iranian-American community on the occasion of Norooz–the first resolution of its kind in the House of Representatives. That measure currently has 38 cosponsors.