CHICAGO – Members of the Kidney Disease Prevention and Education Task Force held a press conference Tuesday at the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois facility to increase awareness around prevention and treatment of the disease that affects 37 million Americans.
"Kidney disease is of the utmost importance here in Illinois. An estimated 1.4 million Illinoisans are affected and only around 177,000 of them are aware of it,” said National Kidney Foundation of Illinois CEO Jacqueline Burgess-Bishop. “Raised awareness and early detection of chronic kidney disease and its risk factors — including diabetes and hypertension — can help prevent the disease from developing or progressing."
Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States, with uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure as the leading causes. Black Americans are four times more likely to develop kidney disease.
CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter released the following statement after the passing of her respected colleague State Senator Scott Bennett, who she worked closely with on the Executive Appointments Committee:
“The unexpected news of Senator Bennett’s passing is incredibly saddening. He was a wonderful colleague who loved his job. He was a natural at it all, and he always had ideas on how to make a bill stronger. In just seven years, he made a great name for himself in the Senate.
“As the chair of the Higher Education Committee, and member of many other committees, he was a very passionate and active professional whose work will live on. He was dedicated to the betterment of his constituency, impacting his community and Illinois at large.
“More than that, he was funny, charismatic and genuine. He adored his wife Stacey and children, and my prayers are with them at this time.”
Americans will have more time to get the Real ID that they will need to board a flight or enter federal facilities.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday an extension of the Real ID deadline until May 7, 2025. The deadline had been May 3, 2023, but needed to be extended again due to the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initial implementation date had been Oct. 1, 2021.
Meanwhile, people are getting compliant IDs as they renew, but it takes time and the process has been slowed by the pandemic, with many state agencies operating at limited capacity.
"Many of these agencies took various steps in response to the pandemic including automatically extending the expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards and shifting operations to appointment only," DHS said, which has created backlogs.
Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 to establish minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards following a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission.
Older IDs will be suitable to allow people to drive, buy liquor or other age-regulated products, and gamble at casinos. Travelers also can use military IDs or passports to access flights and federal facilities.
Page 25 of 137