CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn signed two new consumer protection laws Wednesday, one restricting high-risk home loans and the other aimed at preventing debtors from unfairly being sent to jail.

The governor, who signed the legislation at an event in Chicago, said debt collectors have become so aggressive in some parts of Illinois that they commonly use taxpayer-financed courts, sheriff’s deputies and county jails to squeeze poor people who fall behind on small payments.

The law will make it harder to jail people who miss court dates or are found in contempt of court as they struggle with unpaid debts – a practice that got worse, some say, during the recession.