While it’s still a hassle to get on an airplane, at least it shouldn’t be more of one for Illinoisans.
The secretary of state’s office announced Friday the federal government has announced a two-year moratorium on security changes at airports. That means Illinois driver’s licenses will be suitable to allow you to fly, even though the licenses do not comply with all of the REAL ID Act.
Henry Haupt, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, says not only is it an unfunded mandate, but there’s no state budget to allow his office to spend $60 million to finish the compliance with the federal law.
As it stands, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Haupt says, has praised Illinois.
So we’re good until Jan. 22, 2018. Between now and then, Haupt says, his office will continue to work with the legislature and feds.
In other State news, Research in Springfield is helping fight an incurable illness afflicting about seven percent of pregnant women, preeclampsia.
Dr. Don Torry of the SIU School of Medicine said they’ve made some substantial advances in the obstetrical world, which includes screenings to predict preeclampsia.
It’s the sort of research U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) touted during a Springfield visit this morning, celebrating $2 billion in additional funds for the National Institutes of Health in the new federal budget.
Durbin pulled out a model of a baby’s heart. The model was developed in Peoria and is intended to help surgeons prepare for possibly life-saving procedures. Such procedures were not available when Durbin’s late daughter was born in the 1960’s with a congenital heart defect.
