Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The waning hours of the 103rd Illinois General Assembly feature what Republican lawmakers say are the wrong priorities.

One example, says State Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia), is a bill to allow people to change their names in secret. He calls it a gift to illegal immigrants.

“It severely damages our ability to track offenders or identify individuals who have violated our laws. It allows them to create new identities with the stroke of a pen, undermining law enforcement and public safety in the process.

“When will this administration stop putting illegal immigrants over its citizens?”

The sponsor, State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), said in an e-mailed statement:

“As ensuring the safety of community member’s personal identifiable information continues to be a top priority, House Bill 5164 would repeal the requirement for a person to publish their name change with a local newspaper and establishes a produce to impound the court file. This measure also clarifies that if a court grants a motion to impound a court file of an adult who has a criminal history transcript, both the name change and such person’s former name will appear on their file. Whether a person wants to change their name to protect themselves for domestic violence, or to affirm their gender identity, they should be able to do so without fear for their safety and well-being.”

HB 5164 has passed the Senate, 33-16, and is now in the House.