The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a broad overhaul of the nation's immigration laws on a bipartisan vote, sending the most significant immigration policy changes in decades to the full Senate, reports the New York Times. Debate is expected next month. The 13-to-5 vote came as the panel agreed to hold off on a particularly politically charged amendment, which would have added protections for same-sex couples. As the committee was finishing its work, dozens of high-profile conservative leaders and activists signed an open letter that denounced the bipartisan bill, saying the Senate “would do better to start over from scratch.”