In the wake of a federal ban on affirmative action policies at colleges and universities, one state is taking another step towards promoting merit-based admissions.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law on Aug. 9 that outlaws legacy admissions at public institutions, the practice of admitting students to a university based on their connections with relatives who are alumni of the same school.

New York Sen. Andrew Gounardes, an outspoken critic of legacy admissions, expressed his frustration with the practice, arguing that it is effectively no different from affirmative action policies.

“It struck us as inherently wrong and unfair that the Supreme Court would strike down affirmative action policies and programs but allow something like legacy admissions to stay put, which is affirmative action just for another group of people,” he told ABC News.

“Legacy admissions is simply affirmative action for privileged kids,” he added.