Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner [official bio] signed into law on Monday a bill to limit detention of immigrants and another to simplify voter registration. The first, Senate Bill 31, also known as the TRUST Act [text, PDF], limits local local law enforcement’s authority in detaining immigrants based on citizenship status. Critics of the bills say this will make Illinois a so-called “sanctuary state” because it contradicts federal law. The TRUST Act will not, however, prevent detention of these individuals when a law enforcement official or agency first obtains a valid federal warrant. The relevant text of the bill states:

A law enforcement agency or law enforcement official shall not stop, arrest, search, detain, or continue to detain a person solely based on an individual’s citizenship or immigration status. … This Section 15 does not apply if a law enforcement agency or law enforcement official is presented with a valid, enforceable federal warrant.

The second bill, Senate Bill 1933 [text, PDF] amends section 7.5 of the Freedom of Information Act by changing existing sections and adding new provisions. The most dramatic addition is Section 1A-16.1 (a), which was enacted to simplify voter registration. The section permits individuals to automatically renew voter registration, change voter registration address, or decline voter registration or change of address, when the individual obtains or renews a driver’s license. An authorized application is then considered a dual-purpose application. Section 1A-16.1 (b) sets forth the dual purpose applications as:

If an application, an application for renewal, a change of address form, or a recertification form for a driver’s license, other than a temporary visitor’s driver’s license, or a State identification card issued by the Office of the Secretary of State meets the requirements of the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, then that application shall serve as a dual-purpose application.

Both immigration and voter registration have been focal points for legislatures across the country in recent months. In June the California State Assembly passed two bills which, if passed by the senate, will strengthen protections for undocumented immigrant students in public schools from kindergarten through college by preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering a school site without a valid judicial warrant [JURIST reports] and approval from the superintendent. Also in June Texas Governor Greg Abbott singed into law a bill [JURIST report] which allows voters who lack a photo ID to produce other documents [Statesmen report] showing their name and address, such as a voter registration certificate, utility bill, government check or bank statement, to verify their identity.