BY Zachary Roth&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;

With U.S. democracy plagued by extremism, polarization and a growing disconnect between voters and lawmakers, a set of reforms that could dramatically upend how Americans vote is gaining momentum at surprising speed in Western states.

Ranked choice voting, which asks voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference, has seen its profile steadily expand since 2016, when Maine became the first state to adopt it. But increasingly, RCV is being paired with a new system for primaries known as Final Five — or in some cases, Final Four — that advances multiple candidates, regardless of party, to the general election.

Together, proponents argue, these twin reforms deliver fairer outcomes that better reflect the will of voters, while disempowering the extremes and encouraging candidates and elected officials to prioritize conciliation and compromise.

Ultimately, they say, the new system can help create a government focused not on partisan point-scoring but on delivering tangible results that improve voters’ lives.

Alaska, the only state currently using RCV-plus-Final Four or Final-Five, appears to be seeing some benefits to its political culture already: After years of partisan rancor, both legislative chambers are now controlled by bipartisan majorities eager to find common ground and respond to the needs of voters, say lawmakers in the state who have embraced the new system.

A slew of other states could soon follow in Alaska’s footsteps. Last year, Nevada voters approved a constitutional amendment that would create an RCV-plus-Final-Five system — for the measure to take effect, voters must approve it again next year.

Efforts also are underway to get RCV-plus-Final-Five on Arizona’s 2024 ballot, and RCV-plus-Final-Four in Colorado and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/idaho-open-primary-ballot-initiative-reaches-50000-signature-milestone%C2%A0">Idaho</a>&nbsp;— where organizers announced earlier this month that they’ve gathered 50,000 signatures (they need around 63,000 to qualify). Even Wisconsin Republicans, who in the redistricting sphere have fought reform efforts tooth and nail, in December held a hearing for bipartisan legislation that would create RCV-plus-Final-Five, though its prospects appear dim.

Meanwhile, Oregon voters will decide next year whether to adopt RCV alone. And this year, Minnesota and Illinois lawmakers passed bills to study RCV, while Connecticut approved a measure that allows local governments to use it.

There are even flickers of interest at the national level. In December alone, two leading Washington, D.C. think tanks that often find themselves on opposite sides — the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the liberal Center for American Progress — each held separate panel discussions that considered RCV-plus-Final-Four/Five.

Katherine Gehl, the founder of the Institute for Political Innovation, and the designer of the Final Four/Five system, calls RCV-plus-Final-Five “transformational.” (Her organization now says advancing five candidates to the general works best, by giving voters more choices.)

“There’s a huge pressure on reformers to say, this is not a silver bullet,” said Gehl. “And OK, I get that.”

But, she added, “I think it’s as close to a silver bullet as you can come.”

Meanwhile, a backlash to change is brewing, with several Republican-led states banning RCV in recent years. A coalition of national conservative election groups last month&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://electiontransparency.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/11/ETI_WI_Coalition_Letter.pdf">warned</a>&nbsp;Wisconsin’s legislative leaders that RCV and Final Five are “intended to dramatically push our politics to the Left.”

Here’s how RCV-plus-Final-Four/Five works.

In the primary election, candidates from all parties compete against each other, with voters picking only their top choice, as in a conventional election. The top four or five finishers, regardless of party, advance to the general.

In the general, voters use RCV to pick the winner. They fill out their ballot by ranking as many of the candidates as they want, by order of preference.

If no candidate wins a majority of first-place votes, the candidate who finished last is eliminated, and his or her supporters’ second-place votes are allocated. If there’s still no candidate with a majority, the process is repeated with the next-to-last candidate. This continues until someone gains a majority and is declared the winner.

Supporters of the system say the Final Four/Five primary gives a voice to a broader share of voters, while the use of RCV in the general helps ensure a fairer result. Under the current system, two similar candidates together may win a clear majority but split voters between them, allowing a third candidate to win with a minority of votes.

But even more important, many advocates argue, is how the two reforms together can change how candidates and elected officials of all stripes approach their jobs, by adjusting the incentive structure they operate under.

Increasingly, many states and districts are solidly red or blue, meaning the general election is uncompetitive, and the key race takes place in the primary. That’s a problem, because the primary electorate is by and large smaller, more partisan and more extreme than the general electorate.

Right now, with politicians worrying more about the primary than the general, they’re more focused on playing to their base than on reaching beyond it and solving problems, critics argue. It isn’t hard to find evidence for this lately, both in Washington and in state capitals across the country.

By allowing multiple candidates to advance, Final Four/Five shifts the crucial election from the primary to the general. And RCV means the votes of Democrats in red districts and Republicans in blue ones still matter, even if their top choice remains unlikely to win.

Together, it means candidates are rewarded for paying attention to the entire general electorate, not just a small slice of staunch supporters. As a result, it encourages candidates — and elected officials, once in office — toward moderation and problem-solving, and away from extremism.

“People do what it takes to get and keep their jobs,” said Gehl, the Final Four/Five designer. “So if you change who hires and fires, which is to say, November voters instead of primary voters, and you change the system so that there’s real competition in November every time, even once you’re an incumbent, that forces accountability.”

The experience of Alaska, whose voters passed an RCV-plus-Final-Four system in 2020, offers an illustration.

At its first use in 2022, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an independent-minded Republican distrusted by the party’s conservative wing, was reelected. Mary Peltola, a moderate Democrat who kept in place her Republican predecessor’s chief of staff, was elected to the U.S. House, defeating Sarah Palin, the conservative Republican former governor. (Murkowski and Peltola endorsed each other).

Meanwhile, voters reelected Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a conservative Republican – suggesting, reformers say, that the system can produce a wide range of outcomes.

And more women ran in 2022 than in the five previous cycles combined — highlighting how allowing anyone to run, regardless of party, can boost opportunities for under-represented groups.

But the effect on how candidates and lawmakers have approached their jobs has been more dramatic still, advocates say.

Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, a Republican, told the Center for American Progress event that, after angering GOP voters by working collaboratively with Democrats, she lost her 2020 primary, held under the old election system, to a staunch conservative. Giessel had been in office since 2011.

Giessel said that when she ran again last year under RCV-plus-Final-Four, her campaign didn’t even buy the database showing voters’ party affiliations that most candidates rely on to identify supporters, because she needed to target voters of all stripes. Helped by being the second choice of many Democratic voters in the general election, Giessel won back her seat.

“You’re requiring us as candidates to be much more authentic,” said Giessel of the new system. “We’re not speaking to a party platform anymore. We’re speaking to the citizens.”

Giessel now leads a bipartisan majority coalition, formed within days of the election. Members have focused on consensus issues that are priorities for voters, including boosting education funding, lowering the cost of energy and passing a balanced budget.

“We have seen much more collaboration on the budget,” said Giessel. “There’s a much more open process now, understanding that everyone needs to have input.“

An&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://rstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/REALFINAL_policy-short-no-122-no-embargo.pdf">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the R Street Institute, a center-right Washington, D.C. think tank, found that Alaska’s new election system “gave citizens greater choice and elevated the most broadly appealing candidates, in turn improving representation.”

Reformers in Nevada — gearing up for next year’s campaign to pass RCV-plus-Final-Five a second time after it won with 53% of the vote last year — have noticed Alaska’s early success.

Over 40% of all registered voters in the Silver State aren’t affiliated with a major party, and the figure is growing. It was these voters’ frustration over being denied a voice in the state’s taxpayer-funded closed primaries that initially drove the push for reform, said Mike Draper, the communications director for Nevada Voters First, a political action committee that organized the ballot measure.

As in Alaska and elsewhere, there was also a related concern about politicians playing only to their base.

“Candidates and electeds, through no fault of their own, are not incentivized to … work to solve problems,” said Draper. “The primary incentive is to make sure they stay in the good graces either of the party, or of that fringe group that’s active in the primaries.”

Top figures in both major parties, including Nevada’s Republican governor and its two Democratic U.S. senators, oppose reform. A lawsuit brought by Democratic super-lawyer Marc Elias that aimed to keep the measure off the 2022 ballot was rejected by a judge.

Though elected Democrats in Nevada and some other blue states have come out against reform, the most vocal opponents have been red-state Republicans and national conservative groups. They argue it would confuse voters and further reduce confidence in election results.

Some even see a progressive plot. An October&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thefga.org/research/ranked-choice-voting-partisan-plot-to-disrupt-elections/">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability called RCV a “scheme of the Left to disenfranchise voters and elect more Democrats.”

Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota — all Republican-controlled states — have passed legislation in recent years to ban RCV. Arizona’s GOP-controlled legislature also passed an RCV ban, but it was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat.

In Alaska, conservatives have launched a campaign to advance a ballot measure repealing their state’s reform. Palin, who has blamed the system for her loss to Peltola last year, calling it “wack,” is playing a prominent role in the effort.

Still, advocates say there are also signs of emerging interest among some Republicans in other states.

Last year, the GOP lost several winnable statewide races after primary voters nominated extremists like Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania and Kari Lake in Arizona. Now, some in the party think reform could allow them to advance more electable candidates.

“Even among Republicans, I’ve had my fair share of conversations where they are starting to recognize that the system isn’t putting forward candidates who are necessarily the best general election winners,” said Matt Germer, an associate director and elections fellow at the R Street Institute.

“So there’s even some growing interest among Republican electeds to say, hey, what we’re doing now is not growing our party. And if we really want to change our country, we’re going to need to grow our party, and that means appealing to enough voters to win elections.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="mailto:info@stateline.org">info@stateline.org</a>. Follow Stateline on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://facebook.com/statelinenewsroom">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/stateline_news">Twitter</a>.

BY Zachary Roth&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;With U.S. democracy plagued by extremism, polarization and a growing disconnect between voters and lawmakers, a set of reforms that could dramatically upend how Americans vote is gaining momentum at surprising speed in Western states.Ranked choice voting, which asks voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference, has seen its profile steadily expand since 2016, when Maine became the first state to adopt it. But increasingly, RCV is being paired with a new system for primaries known as Final Five — or in some cases, Final Four — that advances multiple candidates, regardless of party, to the general election.Together, proponents argue, these twin reforms deliver fairer outcomes that better reflect the will of voters, while disempowering the extremes and encouraging candidates and elected officials to prioritize conciliation and compromise.Ultimately, they say, the new system can help create a government focused not on partisan point-scoring but on delivering tangible results that improve voters’ lives.Alaska, the only state currently using RCV-plus-Final Four or Final-Five, appears to be seeing some benefits to its political culture already: After years of partisan rancor, both legislative chambers are now controlled by bipartisan majorities eager to find common ground and respond to the needs of voters, say lawmakers in the state who have embraced the new system.A slew of other states could soon follow in Alaska’s footsteps. Last year, Nevada voters approved a constitutional amendment that would create an RCV-plus-Final-Five system — for the measure to take effect, voters must approve it again next year.Efforts also are underway to get RCV-plus-Final-Five on Arizona’s 2024 ballot, and RCV-plus-Final-Four in Colorado and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/idaho-open-primary-ballot-initiative-reaches-50000-signature-milestone%C2%A0">Idaho</a>&nbsp;— where organizers announced earlier this month that they’ve gathered 50,000 signatures (they need around 63,000 to qualify). Even Wisconsin Republicans, who in the redistricting sphere have fought reform efforts tooth and nail, in December held a hearing for bipartisan legislation that would create RCV-plus-Final-Five, though its prospects appear dim.Meanwhile, Oregon voters will decide next year whether to adopt RCV alone. And this year, Minnesota and Illinois lawmakers passed bills to study RCV, while Connecticut approved a measure that allows local governments to use it.There are even flickers of interest at the national level. In December alone, two leading Washington, D.C. think tanks that often find themselves on opposite sides — the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the liberal Center for American Progress — each held separate panel discussions that considered RCV-plus-Final-Four/Five.Katherine Gehl, the founder of the Institute for Political Innovation, and the designer of the Final Four/Five system, calls RCV-plus-Final-Five “transformational.” (Her organization now says advancing five candidates to the general works best, by giving voters more choices.)“There’s a huge pressure on reformers to say, this is not a silver bullet,” said Gehl. “And OK, I get that.”But, she added, “I think it’s as close to a silver bullet as you can come.”Meanwhile, a backlash to change is brewing, with several Republican-led states banning RCV in recent years. A coalition of national conservative election groups last month&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://electiontransparency.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/11/ETI_WI_Coalition_Letter.pdf">warned</a>&nbsp;Wisconsin’s legislative leaders that RCV and Final Five are “intended to dramatically push our politics to the Left.”<h2>Understanding the process</h2>Here’s how RCV-plus-Final-Four/Five works.In the primary election, candidates from all parties compete against each other, with voters picking only their top choice, as in a conventional election. The top four or five finishers, regardless of party, advance to the general.In the general, voters use RCV to pick the winner. They fill out their ballot by ranking as many of the candidates as they want, by order of preference.If no candidate wins a majority of first-place votes, the candidate who finished last is eliminated, and his or her supporters’ second-place votes are allocated. If there’s still no candidate with a majority, the process is repeated with the next-to-last candidate. This continues until someone gains a majority and is declared the winner.Supporters of the system say the Final Four/Five primary gives a voice to a broader share of voters, while the use of RCV in the general helps ensure a fairer result. Under the current system, two similar candidates together may win a clear majority but split voters between them, allowing a third candidate to win with a minority of votes.But even more important, many advocates argue, is how the two reforms together can change how candidates and elected officials of all stripes approach their jobs, by adjusting the incentive structure they operate under.Increasingly, many states and districts are solidly red or blue, meaning the general election is uncompetitive, and the key race takes place in the primary. That’s a problem, because the primary electorate is by and large smaller, more partisan and more extreme than the general electorate.Right now, with politicians worrying more about the primary than the general, they’re more focused on playing to their base than on reaching beyond it and solving problems, critics argue. It isn’t hard to find evidence for this lately, both in Washington and in state capitals across the country.By allowing multiple candidates to advance, Final Four/Five shifts the crucial election from the primary to the general. And RCV means the votes of Democrats in red districts and Republicans in blue ones still matter, even if their top choice remains unlikely to win.Together, it means candidates are rewarded for paying attention to the entire general electorate, not just a small slice of staunch supporters. As a result, it encourages candidates — and elected officials, once in office — toward moderation and problem-solving, and away from extremism.“People do what it takes to get and keep their jobs,” said Gehl, the Final Four/Five designer. “So if you change who hires and fires, which is to say, November voters instead of primary voters, and you change the system so that there’s real competition in November every time, even once you’re an incumbent, that forces accountability.”<h2>A success story from the Last Frontier?</h2>The experience of Alaska, whose voters passed an RCV-plus-Final-Four system in 2020, offers an illustration.At its first use in 2022, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an independent-minded Republican distrusted by the party’s conservative wing, was reelected. Mary Peltola, a moderate Democrat who kept in place her Republican predecessor’s chief of staff, was elected to the U.S. House, defeating Sarah Palin, the conservative Republican former governor. (Murkowski and Peltola endorsed each other).Meanwhile, voters reelected Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a conservative Republican – suggesting, reformers say, that the system can produce a wide range of outcomes.And more women ran in 2022 than in the five previous cycles combined — highlighting how allowing anyone to run, regardless of party, can boost opportunities for under-represented groups.But the effect on how candidates and lawmakers have approached their jobs has been more dramatic still, advocates say.Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, a Republican, told the Center for American Progress event that, after angering GOP voters by working collaboratively with Democrats, she lost her 2020 primary, held under the old election system, to a staunch conservative. Giessel had been in office since 2011.Giessel said that when she ran again last year under RCV-plus-Final-Four, her campaign didn’t even buy the database showing voters’ party affiliations that most candidates rely on to identify supporters, because she needed to target voters of all stripes. Helped by being the second choice of many Democratic voters in the general election, Giessel won back her seat.“You’re requiring us as candidates to be much more authentic,” said Giessel of the new system. “We’re not speaking to a party platform anymore. We’re speaking to the citizens.”Giessel now leads a bipartisan majority coalition, formed within days of the election. Members have focused on consensus issues that are priorities for voters, including boosting education funding, lowering the cost of energy and passing a balanced budget.“We have seen much more collaboration on the budget,” said Giessel. “There’s a much more open process now, understanding that everyone needs to have input.“An&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://rstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/REALFINAL_policy-short-no-122-no-embargo.pdf">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the R Street Institute, a center-right Washington, D.C. think tank, found that Alaska’s new election system “gave citizens greater choice and elevated the most broadly appealing candidates, in turn improving representation.”Reformers in Nevada — gearing up for next year’s campaign to pass RCV-plus-Final-Five a second time after it won with 53% of the vote last year — have noticed Alaska’s early success.Over 40% of all registered voters in the Silver State aren’t affiliated with a major party, and the figure is growing. It was these voters’ frustration over being denied a voice in the state’s taxpayer-funded closed primaries that initially drove the push for reform, said Mike Draper, the communications director for Nevada Voters First, a political action committee that organized the ballot measure.As in Alaska and elsewhere, there was also a related concern about politicians playing only to their base.“Candidates and electeds, through no fault of their own, are not incentivized to … work to solve problems,” said Draper. “The primary incentive is to make sure they stay in the good graces either of the party, or of that fringe group that’s active in the primaries.”Top figures in both major parties, including Nevada’s Republican governor and its two Democratic U.S. senators, oppose reform. A lawsuit brought by Democratic super-lawyer Marc Elias that aimed to keep the measure off the 2022 ballot was rejected by a judge.<h2>‘A scheme of the Left’?</h2>Though elected Democrats in Nevada and some other blue states have come out against reform, the most vocal opponents have been red-state Republicans and national conservative groups. They argue it would confuse voters and further reduce confidence in election results.Some even see a progressive plot. An October&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thefga.org/research/ranked-choice-voting-partisan-plot-to-disrupt-elections/">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability called RCV a “scheme of the Left to disenfranchise voters and elect more Democrats.”Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota — all Republican-controlled states — have passed legislation in recent years to ban RCV. Arizona’s GOP-controlled legislature also passed an RCV ban, but it was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat.In Alaska, conservatives have launched a campaign to advance a ballot measure repealing their state’s reform. Palin, who has blamed the system for her loss to Peltola last year, calling it “wack,” is playing a prominent role in the effort.Still, advocates say there are also signs of emerging interest among some Republicans in other states.Last year, the GOP lost several winnable statewide races after primary voters nominated extremists like Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania and Kari Lake in Arizona. Now, some in the party think reform could allow them to advance more electable candidates.“Even among Republicans, I’ve had my fair share of conversations where they are starting to recognize that the system isn’t putting forward candidates who are necessarily the best general election winners,” said Matt Germer, an associate director and elections fellow at the R Street Institute.“So there’s even some growing interest among Republican electeds to say, hey, what we’re doing now is not growing our party. And if we really want to change our country, we’re going to need to grow our party, and that means appealing to enough voters to win elections.”<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="mailto:info@stateline.org">info@stateline.org</a>. Follow Stateline on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://facebook.com/statelinenewsroom">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/stateline_news">Twitter</a>.

How a new way to vote is gaining traction in states — and could transform US politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are seizing more shipments of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaping-elf-bar-ecigarettes-china-teens-77033584983ad47fc5795baa46b4705e">unauthorized electronic cigarettes</a>&nbsp;at U.S. ports, but thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press.

The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7 billion vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stop the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-80b2680a874d89b8d651c5e909e39e8f">flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teen-vaping-smoking-cdc-survey-d1f44bd3d8df6960215a14454f5e2e6e">1 in 10 American teens</a>&nbsp;and adolescents.

More than 11,500 unique vaping products are being sold in U.S. stores, up 27% from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-5e45cf57dc78f6b94213047c97b10f7e">9,000 products in June</a>, according to tightly held industry data from analytics firm Circana.

“FDA whacks one product and then the manufacturers get around it and the kids get around it,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a Stanford University psychologist who develops anti-vaping educational materials. “It’s too easy to change your product a little bit and just relaunch it.”

Halpern-Felsher says she is “constantly” updating her curriculum to keep pace with new vaping brands and trends.

Nearly all the new products are disposable e-cigarettes, according to the sales data gathered from gas stations, convenience stores and other shops. The products generated $3.2 billion in the first 11 months of this year.

The FDA has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-business-health-126c438648d433fdfe987c397e576b26">authorized a handful of e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;for adult smokers and is still reviewing products from several major companies, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Juul</a>. Regulators consider nearly all other e-cigarettes to be illegal.

“Those committing illegal acts don’t advertise their crimes, and those trying to import illegal tobacco products into the United States are no different," said FDA’s tobacco director, Brian King, in a written response to AP questions. “The FDA and our federal partners are using tools, like import alerts, to stop these illegal tobacco products at the border and to deter countless others.”

The rise in e-cigarettes sold continues despite a record number of products detained.

An FDA database shows officials “refused” entry to 148 containers or pallets of “tobacco” goods last month, consisting almost entirely of vaping products from China. Refused imports are typically destroyed.

Through the end of November, U.S. officials had refused 374 such shipments this year, more than double the 118 refused in 2022.

This year's items included $400,000 worth of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Esco Bars</a>, a disposable brand placed on a list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1163.html">banned imports</a>&nbsp;in May. The agency's posted data is often preliminary because it takes time to finalize refusals.

But recent history shows how easily companies can maneuver around import bans.

In July 2022, the FDA barred dozens of e-cigarettes from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1169.html">Chinese manufacturer Fume</a>, including flavors Pineapple Ice and Blue Razz.

Fume sales dipped after the ban, but the company launched a slew of new products, posting $42 million in U.S. sales in the third quarter of 2023, the data shows. Roughly 98% of sales came from products not on the FDA’s “red list” of products that can be detained.

Industry shipping tactics are also challenging the usefulness of import restrictions.

In July, FDA and customs officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-teen-vaping-434dc600866cf2a626aa8c7a0063ac43">intercepted $18 million worth of illegal vapes</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-disposable-vaping-5245aed253ca9cdcf119483bd9cee1f1">leading brand Elf Bar</a>. But the shipments were mislabeled as shoes, toys and other items — not e-cigarettes — requiring officials to individually open and verify the contents of more than two dozen containers.

Circana, formerly IRI, restricts access to its data, which it sells to companies and researchers. A person not authorized to share it gave the AP access on condition of anonymity.

The FDA has no schedule for updating its import lists but said it is “closely monitoring” instances where companies try to avoid detection.

“The FDA has a variety of tools at our disposal to take action against these tactics,” FDA’s King said.

The agency has limited powers to penalize foreign companies. Instead, regulators have sent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-warns-internet-retailers-selling-illegal-e-cigarettes-popular-among-youth">hundreds of warning letters</a>&nbsp;to U.S. stores selling their products, but those are not legally binding.

Even as the FDA attempts to work with customs officials, it is struggling to complete a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9ae0c0e7415549e29cb21fbaf7e401b3">yearslong review</a>&nbsp;of applications submitted by manufacturers hoping to market their products to adults.

The few tobacco-flavored products currently authorized by FDA are deeply unpopular. Their combined sales were just $174 million, or 2.4% of the vaping marketplace this year, according to Circana.

“Nobody wants them,” says Marc Silas, owner of 906 Vapor shop in Michigan. “If people wanted them, they’d be on the shelves and they’re not.”

Deeply frustrated with the pace of FDA’s review, public health groups have successfully sued the agency to speed up the process. The agency aimed to complete all major outstanding applications this year, but it recently said the process would stretch into next year.

The delays have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-vaping-us-food-and-drug-administration-robert-califf-63d2cc590965a6f5f39460e19f2a8607">raised questions</a>&nbsp;about the viability of the the current regulatory framework for e-cigarettes.

“FDA is trying to operate with an old model when the whole environment has changed,” said Scott Ballin, a health policy consultant who previously worked for the American Heart Association. “They have this long line of products that have to be reviewed one by one and now they’re in a giant hole.”

One alternative approach would be to make decisions about entire classes of e-cigarettes, rather than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/juul-banned-fda-e41c58872a0e7a202ca5244442accb04">individual products</a>.

The idea initially came from small vaping manufacturers who did not have the money to conduct the large studies typical of FDA applications. Public health advocates concerned about the persistence of underage vaping have embraced it.

Halpern-Felsher, of Stanford University, is among those urging the FDA to ban all flavored disposable e-cigarettes, the products used by most of the 2 million underage teens who vape.

“If we continue down this path that we’re on, we’re just going to have new and continuing generations of young people addicted to nicotine,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703952979327.png" alt="Customs and Border Protection and FDA seized approximately 1.4 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products, valued at $18M. earlier this month. The seizures were part of a three-day joint operation, which resulted in the seizure of 41 shipments containing illegal e-cigarettes- photo CB" />
 <figcaption>Customs and Border Protection and FDA seized approximately 1.4 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products, valued at $18M. earlier this month. The seizures were part of a three-day joint operation, which resulted in the seizure of 41 shipments containing illegal e-cigarettes- photo CB</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are seizing more shipments of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaping-elf-bar-ecigarettes-china-teens-77033584983ad47fc5795baa46b4705e">unauthorized electronic cigarettes</a>&nbsp;at U.S. ports, but thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press.The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7 billion vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stop the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-80b2680a874d89b8d651c5e909e39e8f">flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teen-vaping-smoking-cdc-survey-d1f44bd3d8df6960215a14454f5e2e6e">1 in 10 American teens</a>&nbsp;and adolescents.More than 11,500 unique vaping products are being sold in U.S. stores, up 27% from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-5e45cf57dc78f6b94213047c97b10f7e">9,000 products in June</a>, according to tightly held industry data from analytics firm Circana.“FDA whacks one product and then the manufacturers get around it and the kids get around it,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a Stanford University psychologist who develops anti-vaping educational materials. “It’s too easy to change your product a little bit and just relaunch it.”Halpern-Felsher says she is “constantly” updating her curriculum to keep pace with new vaping brands and trends.Nearly all the new products are disposable e-cigarettes, according to the sales data gathered from gas stations, convenience stores and other shops. The products generated $3.2 billion in the first 11 months of this year.The FDA has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-business-health-126c438648d433fdfe987c397e576b26">authorized a handful of e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;for adult smokers and is still reviewing products from several major companies, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Juul</a>. Regulators consider nearly all other e-cigarettes to be illegal.“Those committing illegal acts don’t advertise their crimes, and those trying to import illegal tobacco products into the United States are no different," said FDA’s tobacco director, Brian King, in a written response to AP questions. “The FDA and our federal partners are using tools, like import alerts, to stop these illegal tobacco products at the border and to deter countless others.”The rise in e-cigarettes sold continues despite a record number of products detained.An FDA database shows officials “refused” entry to 148 containers or pallets of “tobacco” goods last month, consisting almost entirely of vaping products from China. Refused imports are typically destroyed.Through the end of November, U.S. officials had refused 374 such shipments this year, more than double the 118 refused in 2022.This year's items included $400,000 worth of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Esco Bars</a>, a disposable brand placed on a list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1163.html">banned imports</a>&nbsp;in May. The agency's posted data is often preliminary because it takes time to finalize refusals.But recent history shows how easily companies can maneuver around import bans.In July 2022, the FDA barred dozens of e-cigarettes from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1169.html">Chinese manufacturer Fume</a>, including flavors Pineapple Ice and Blue Razz.Fume sales dipped after the ban, but the company launched a slew of new products, posting $42 million in U.S. sales in the third quarter of 2023, the data shows. Roughly 98% of sales came from products not on the FDA’s “red list” of products that can be detained.Industry shipping tactics are also challenging the usefulness of import restrictions.In July, FDA and customs officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-teen-vaping-434dc600866cf2a626aa8c7a0063ac43">intercepted $18 million worth of illegal vapes</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-disposable-vaping-5245aed253ca9cdcf119483bd9cee1f1">leading brand Elf Bar</a>. But the shipments were mislabeled as shoes, toys and other items — not e-cigarettes — requiring officials to individually open and verify the contents of more than two dozen containers.Circana, formerly IRI, restricts access to its data, which it sells to companies and researchers. A person not authorized to share it gave the AP access on condition of anonymity.The FDA has no schedule for updating its import lists but said it is “closely monitoring” instances where companies try to avoid detection.“The FDA has a variety of tools at our disposal to take action against these tactics,” FDA’s King said.The agency has limited powers to penalize foreign companies. Instead, regulators have sent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-warns-internet-retailers-selling-illegal-e-cigarettes-popular-among-youth">hundreds of warning letters</a>&nbsp;to U.S. stores selling their products, but those are not legally binding.Even as the FDA attempts to work with customs officials, it is struggling to complete a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9ae0c0e7415549e29cb21fbaf7e401b3">yearslong review</a>&nbsp;of applications submitted by manufacturers hoping to market their products to adults.The few tobacco-flavored products currently authorized by FDA are deeply unpopular. Their combined sales were just $174 million, or 2.4% of the vaping marketplace this year, according to Circana.“Nobody wants them,” says Marc Silas, owner of 906 Vapor shop in Michigan. “If people wanted them, they’d be on the shelves and they’re not.”Deeply frustrated with the pace of FDA’s review, public health groups have successfully sued the agency to speed up the process. The agency aimed to complete all major outstanding applications this year, but it recently said the process would stretch into next year.The delays have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-vaping-us-food-and-drug-administration-robert-califf-63d2cc590965a6f5f39460e19f2a8607">raised questions</a>&nbsp;about the viability of the the current regulatory framework for e-cigarettes.“FDA is trying to operate with an old model when the whole environment has changed,” said Scott Ballin, a health policy consultant who previously worked for the American Heart Association. “They have this long line of products that have to be reviewed one by one and now they’re in a giant hole.”One alternative approach would be to make decisions about entire classes of e-cigarettes, rather than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/juul-banned-fda-e41c58872a0e7a202ca5244442accb04">individual products</a>.The idea initially came from small vaping manufacturers who did not have the money to conduct the large studies typical of FDA applications. Public health advocates concerned about the persistence of underage vaping have embraced it.Halpern-Felsher, of Stanford University, is among those urging the FDA to ban all flavored disposable e-cigarettes, the products used by most of the 2 million underage teens who vape.“If we continue down this path that we’re on, we’re just going to have new and continuing generations of young people addicted to nicotine,” she said.

US seizes more illegal e-cigarettes; thousands of new ones are launching

WASHINGTON (AP) —Since the pandemic first upended American education, an estimated 50,000 students are&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/pandemic-missing-students-school-enrollment/index.html">still missing</a>&nbsp;from any kind of U.S. school. That’s according to an Associated Press analysis of public, private and homeschool enrollment as of fall 2022, and U.S. Census data in 22 states, plus Washington, D.C.

The reasons students left during the pandemic are varied, and still not fully understood. Some experienced&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-housing/index.html">homelessness</a>, lost interest or motivation, or struggled with mental health. Some needed to work or assume adult responsibilities. Some fell behind in online school and didn’t see the point of re-engaging.

The number of missing students has fallen from fall 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html">over 230,000 students were still unaccounted for</a>&nbsp;in an analysis by AP, Big Local News and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee. Slowly, many students returned to some form of schooling, or aged out of the system. The decline in missing students is a hopeful sign the education system is moving toward recovery.

Still, not all is back to its pre-pandemic “normal.” AP’s nationwide analysis shows lasting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kindergarten-school-registration-homeschool-f6a0c3a8f97f8d6cf616f201f68c04fe">disengagement from public school</a>, as Americans turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-unapproved-schools/index.html">other kinds of schooling</a>. Roughly two-thirds of states keep credible enrollment data for either private or homeschooling. Among those states, private schooling grew nearly 8% and homeschooling grew more than 25% from fall 2019 to fall 2022. Public school enrollment remained depressed, down by over 1 million students.

WASHINGTON (AP) —Since the pandemic first upended American education, an estimated 50,000 students are&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/pandemic-missing-students-school-enrollment/index.html">still missing</a>&nbsp;from any kind of U.S. school. That’s according to an Associated Press analysis of public, private and homeschool enrollment as of fall 2022, and U.S. Census data in 22 states, plus Washington, D.C.The reasons students left during the pandemic are varied, and still not fully understood. Some experienced&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-housing/index.html">homelessness</a>, lost interest or motivation, or struggled with mental health. Some needed to work or assume adult responsibilities. Some fell behind in online school and didn’t see the point of re-engaging.The number of missing students has fallen from fall 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html">over 230,000 students were still unaccounted for</a>&nbsp;in an analysis by AP, Big Local News and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee. Slowly, many students returned to some form of schooling, or aged out of the system. The decline in missing students is a hopeful sign the education system is moving toward recovery.Still, not all is back to its pre-pandemic “normal.” AP’s nationwide analysis shows lasting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kindergarten-school-registration-homeschool-f6a0c3a8f97f8d6cf616f201f68c04fe">disengagement from public school</a>, as Americans turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-unapproved-schools/index.html">other kinds of schooling</a>. Roughly two-thirds of states keep credible enrollment data for either private or homeschooling. Among those states, private schooling grew nearly 8% and homeschooling grew more than 25% from fall 2019 to fall 2022. Public school enrollment remained depressed, down by over 1 million students.

Data shows how many students are still missing from American schools

TOKYO (AP) — Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.

The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m.

At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said.

The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.

The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the waters could still reach up to 3 meters (10 feet). Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, it said.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet).

NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.

Hayashi stressed that it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.

“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.

People returning to get their wallets and other belongings have been known to be swept away and drowned even hours after the first evacuation warning. People were evacuated to stadiums, where they will likely have to stay for a few days.

Hayashi said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed from the quakes, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.

Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.

Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.

Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.

The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.

More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.

Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.

“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.

Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia.

The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. The latest warning was the first time since the 2011 disaster that a tsunami warning of this magnitude was issued.

Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan issued tsunami alerts and ordered evacuations following a series of earthquakes on Monday that started a fire and trapped people under rubble on the west coast of its main island.

The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.

The agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.

Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.

A tsunami of about 3 meters (about 10 feet) high was expected to hit Niigata and other prefectures on the western coast of Japan, and the waves were confirmed to have reached parts of the coastline.

At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside. A fire has broken out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity is out for more than 30,000 households, Hayashi said.

He said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.

Bullet trains in the area were halted. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.

Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia. Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, warning that areas across the island’s west coast could be affected by the waves.

In nearby South Korea, the weather agency urged residents in some eastern coastal towns to watch for possible changes in sea levels. Tsunami waves that hit later later can be bigger than the initial ones.

He reiterated the warning for immediate evacuation in affected areas.

Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704110268813.png" alt="-The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.USGS image" />
 <figcaption>-The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.USGS image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOKYO (AP) — Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m.At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said.The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the waters could still reach up to 3 meters (10 feet). Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, it said.Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet).NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.Hayashi stressed that it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.People returning to get their wallets and other belongings have been known to be swept away and drowned even hours after the first evacuation warning. People were evacuated to stadiums, where they will likely have to stay for a few days.Hayashi said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed from the quakes, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia.The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. The latest warning was the first time since the 2011 disaster that a tsunami warning of this magnitude was issued.Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.___TOKYO (AP) — Japan issued tsunami alerts and ordered evacuations following a series of earthquakes on Monday that started a fire and trapped people under rubble on the west coast of its main island.The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.The agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.A tsunami of about 3 meters (about 10 feet) high was expected to hit Niigata and other prefectures on the western coast of Japan, and the waves were confirmed to have reached parts of the coastline.At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside. A fire has broken out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity is out for more than 30,000 households, Hayashi said.He said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.Bullet trains in the area were halted. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia. Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, warning that areas across the island’s west coast could be affected by the waves.In nearby South Korea, the weather agency urged residents in some eastern coastal towns to watch for possible changes in sea levels. Tsunami waves that hit later later can be bigger than the initial ones.The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.He reiterated the warning for immediate evacuation in affected areas.Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday.

Japan issues tsunami warnings after 7.6 magnitude earthquake

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20A.%20LIEB%20and%20GEOFF%20MULVIHILL%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID A. LIEB and GEOFF MULVIHILL</a>

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Fuzzy dice finally will be free to dangle in Illinois.

Starting Monday, police there no longer will be allowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=103-0032">pull over motorists</a>&nbsp;solely because they have something hanging from the rearview mirror of the windshield. That means air fresheners, parking placards and, yes, even those dice are fair game to hang.

The revised Illinois windshield rule is one of hundreds of new laws taking effect with the new year in states across the U.S. While some may seem a bit pedestrian, others have real practical effects or touch on controversial issues such as restrictions on weapons and medical treatments for transgender people.

Though the original Illinois windshield law was meant to improve roadway safety, it came to be seen by some as an excuse for pulling over drivers. The new law still prohibits objects that obstruct a driver's view but forbids law enforcement officers from conducting stops or searches solely because of suspected violations.

“With this new law, we are sending a powerful message that the state does not tolerate racial profiling or other forms of discrimination,” said Democratic state Sen. Christopher Belt, one of the bill's sponsors.

Another new Illinois law seeks to stifle a more modern form of distracted driving by prohibiting people from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&amp;SessionId=112&amp;GA=103&amp;DocTypeId=HB&amp;DocNum=2431&amp;GAID=17&amp;LegID=147512&amp;SpecSess=&amp;Session=">participating in video conferences</a>&nbsp;or scanning social media while behind the wheel.

Several states have new laws regulating guns and online activity.

A Minnesota law will allow authorities to ask courts for “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-safety-minnesota-governor-f7f7d0276061b01890b623b535780fd6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">extreme risk protection orders</a>&nbsp;” to temporarily take guns from people deemed to be an imminent threat to others or themselves. Minnesota will be at least the 20th state with such a red-flag law.

Colorado will become one of a dozen states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghost-gun-firearm-mass-shootings-colorado-b4b2d51884ed09fafa1a8e2ccc8001fb?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">banning so-called ghost guns</a>. The new law prohibits firearms that are assembled at home or 3D-printed without serial numbers, practices that have allowed owners to evade background checks.

The U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-semiautomatic-weapon-ammunition-ban-gun-rights-2b1a3e9795814ba9c05ea8720cbb6f4d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">declined to block</a>&nbsp;an Illinois law from taking effect Monday that bans high-powered semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. But a federal judge recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-gun-laws-concealed-carry-c7ebb8506ed99f41b59455350647c0b6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">blocked a California law</a>&nbsp;that would have banned carrying concealed guns in many public places.

Several state laws delve into acceptable online activities. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00056-R00SB-00003-PA.PDF">new Connecticut law</a>&nbsp;requires online dating operators to adopt policies for handling harassment reports by or between users.

A North Carolina law will require pornographic website operators to confirm viewers are at least 18 years old by using a commercially available database. The law lets parents sue companies if their children were allowed to access the pornography. Another new Illinois law will allow lawsuits from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deepfake-porn-celebrities-dalle-stable-diffusion-midjourney-ai-e7935e9922cda82fbcfb1e1a88d9443a?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">victims of deepfake pornography</a>, in which videos or images are manipulated without their consent.

Over the past few years, there has been a major push by conservatives to restrict access to gender-affirming treatments for transgender minors. Bans are on the books in 22 states, including some where judges have paused enforcement as they consider challenges to the policies.

New bans on access for minors to puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery, which is rare, are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-ban-kids-idaho-d17ca5b1549509bb4b21ec26e2691968?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-ban-veto-override-louisiana-gender-affirming-5c0291d146ce4db1ff601d26650ad9af?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Louisiana</a>&nbsp;and West Virginia.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-governor-gender-affirming-care-de63a9232fcea329081f667fdf0c24ab?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">The West Virginia law</a>&nbsp;contains an exception: Teens could still access treatment with parental consent and a diagnosis of severe gender dysphoria from two doctors.

While many Republican-led legislatures have imposed restrictions, many Democrat-dominated states have responded with transgender protections. A law taking effect Monday in Hawaii requires new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1282_.PDF">marriage certificates</a>&nbsp;to be issued to people who request to change how their sex is listed. The state also is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1263_.PDF">replacing gender-specific terms</a>&nbsp;in state law; “mother” is being replaced with “birthing parent” and “father” with “non-birthing parent.”

In Colorado,&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb23-1057">new buildings</a>&nbsp;wholly or partly owned by government entities will be required to have on every floor where there are public restrooms at least one that does not specify the gender of the users.

The conservative push on LGBTQ+ policies also has come with efforts to keep certain books out of school or public libraries.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-schools-public-libraries-books-ban-f3bad5e3c4ef05267a46a74d72c604b7?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">An Indiana law</a>&nbsp;taking effect makes it easier for parents and others to challenge books in school libraries. By contrast,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/book-ban-library-lgbtq-illinois-f5516941473e474712eaaafda084de76?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">a new Illinois law</a>&nbsp;would block state funding for public libraries that ban or restrict books.

The new year brings a variety of new laws on taxes and wages — perennial issues for state governments.

More than 20 states will raise minimum wages for workers, further widening the gap between state requirements and the federal minimum, which has been static at $7.25 an hour since July 2009. In several states, the new minimum wage will more than double that rate.

Maryland's minimum wage will be set at $15 an hour. In New Jersey, it will be $15.13 an hour for most employees. In Connecticut, $15.69 per hour. In New York City, $16 an hour, though it will be $15 in most of the rest of the state. California's statewide minimum wage also will rise to $16 per hour. And in Washington, the minimum rate will be $16.28.

Residents in some states will gain money by paying less in taxes, continuing a three-year trend in which nearly every state has reduced, rebated or suspended some type of broad-based tax.

In Kansas, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-topeka-04c238396da6305b90de6b7bb6283876?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">sales tax on groceries</a>&nbsp;will drop from 4% to 2% in its next step toward eventual elimination, producing a savings of $208 annually for a family spending an average of $200 weekly on groceries.

About 1 million tax filers are expected to benefit from Connecticut's first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-general-assembly-budget-tax-cut-94f4b37c4d2dadf783ef5f3812a7c7c9?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">income tax rate reduction</a>&nbsp;since the mid-1990s. Lower-income workers and retirees also stand to benefit from expanded tax breaks.

Missouri also will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-corporate-taxes-missouri-columbia-government-and-politics-0f1b81cef03a49fbe16199f24b5e22bd?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">reduce its income tax rate</a>&nbsp;while expanding tax exemptions for Social Security benefits and military training pay. Businesses will be able to claim tax credits for hiring interns or apprentices.

Alabama will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-legislature-overtime-pay-tax-cut-da1c1b17042a0a84d37674453cc8e351?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">exempt overtime pay</a>&nbsp;from the state's income tax, though that lasts only until June 2025 unless renewed by lawmakers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668724103112.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20A.%20LIEB%20and%20GEOFF%20MULVIHILL%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID A. LIEB and GEOFF MULVIHILL</a>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Fuzzy dice finally will be free to dangle in Illinois.Starting Monday, police there no longer will be allowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=103-0032">pull over motorists</a>&nbsp;solely because they have something hanging from the rearview mirror of the windshield. That means air fresheners, parking placards and, yes, even those dice are fair game to hang.The revised Illinois windshield rule is one of hundreds of new laws taking effect with the new year in states across the U.S. While some may seem a bit pedestrian, others have real practical effects or touch on controversial issues such as restrictions on weapons and medical treatments for transgender people.Though the original Illinois windshield law was meant to improve roadway safety, it came to be seen by some as an excuse for pulling over drivers. The new law still prohibits objects that obstruct a driver's view but forbids law enforcement officers from conducting stops or searches solely because of suspected violations.“With this new law, we are sending a powerful message that the state does not tolerate racial profiling or other forms of discrimination,” said Democratic state Sen. Christopher Belt, one of the bill's sponsors.Another new Illinois law seeks to stifle a more modern form of distracted driving by prohibiting people from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&amp;SessionId=112&amp;GA=103&amp;DocTypeId=HB&amp;DocNum=2431&amp;GAID=17&amp;LegID=147512&amp;SpecSess=&amp;Session=">participating in video conferences</a>&nbsp;or scanning social media while behind the wheel.GUNS AND PORNOGRAPHYSeveral states have new laws regulating guns and online activity.A Minnesota law will allow authorities to ask courts for “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-safety-minnesota-governor-f7f7d0276061b01890b623b535780fd6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">extreme risk protection orders</a>&nbsp;” to temporarily take guns from people deemed to be an imminent threat to others or themselves. Minnesota will be at least the 20th state with such a red-flag law.Colorado will become one of a dozen states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghost-gun-firearm-mass-shootings-colorado-b4b2d51884ed09fafa1a8e2ccc8001fb?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">banning so-called ghost guns</a>. The new law prohibits firearms that are assembled at home or 3D-printed without serial numbers, practices that have allowed owners to evade background checks.The U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-semiautomatic-weapon-ammunition-ban-gun-rights-2b1a3e9795814ba9c05ea8720cbb6f4d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">declined to block</a>&nbsp;an Illinois law from taking effect Monday that bans high-powered semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. But a federal judge recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-gun-laws-concealed-carry-c7ebb8506ed99f41b59455350647c0b6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">blocked a California law</a>&nbsp;that would have banned carrying concealed guns in many public places.Several state laws delve into acceptable online activities. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00056-R00SB-00003-PA.PDF">new Connecticut law</a>&nbsp;requires online dating operators to adopt policies for handling harassment reports by or between users.A North Carolina law will require pornographic website operators to confirm viewers are at least 18 years old by using a commercially available database. The law lets parents sue companies if their children were allowed to access the pornography. Another new Illinois law will allow lawsuits from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deepfake-porn-celebrities-dalle-stable-diffusion-midjourney-ai-e7935e9922cda82fbcfb1e1a88d9443a?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">victims of deepfake pornography</a>, in which videos or images are manipulated without their consent.LGBTQ+ ISSUESOver the past few years, there has been a major push by conservatives to restrict access to gender-affirming treatments for transgender minors. Bans are on the books in 22 states, including some where judges have paused enforcement as they consider challenges to the policies.New bans on access for minors to puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery, which is rare, are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-ban-kids-idaho-d17ca5b1549509bb4b21ec26e2691968?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-ban-veto-override-louisiana-gender-affirming-5c0291d146ce4db1ff601d26650ad9af?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Louisiana</a>&nbsp;and West Virginia.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-governor-gender-affirming-care-de63a9232fcea329081f667fdf0c24ab?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">The West Virginia law</a>&nbsp;contains an exception: Teens could still access treatment with parental consent and a diagnosis of severe gender dysphoria from two doctors.While many Republican-led legislatures have imposed restrictions, many Democrat-dominated states have responded with transgender protections. A law taking effect Monday in Hawaii requires new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1282_.PDF">marriage certificates</a>&nbsp;to be issued to people who request to change how their sex is listed. The state also is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1263_.PDF">replacing gender-specific terms</a>&nbsp;in state law; “mother” is being replaced with “birthing parent” and “father” with “non-birthing parent.”In Colorado,&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb23-1057">new buildings</a>&nbsp;wholly or partly owned by government entities will be required to have on every floor where there are public restrooms at least one that does not specify the gender of the users.The conservative push on LGBTQ+ policies also has come with efforts to keep certain books out of school or public libraries.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-schools-public-libraries-books-ban-f3bad5e3c4ef05267a46a74d72c604b7?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">An Indiana law</a>&nbsp;taking effect makes it easier for parents and others to challenge books in school libraries. By contrast,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/book-ban-library-lgbtq-illinois-f5516941473e474712eaaafda084de76?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">a new Illinois law</a>&nbsp;would block state funding for public libraries that ban or restrict books.TAXES AND WAGESThe new year brings a variety of new laws on taxes and wages — perennial issues for state governments.More than 20 states will raise minimum wages for workers, further widening the gap between state requirements and the federal minimum, which has been static at $7.25 an hour since July 2009. In several states, the new minimum wage will more than double that rate.Maryland's minimum wage will be set at $15 an hour. In New Jersey, it will be $15.13 an hour for most employees. In Connecticut, $15.69 per hour. In New York City, $16 an hour, though it will be $15 in most of the rest of the state. California's statewide minimum wage also will rise to $16 per hour. And in Washington, the minimum rate will be $16.28.Residents in some states will gain money by paying less in taxes, continuing a three-year trend in which nearly every state has reduced, rebated or suspended some type of broad-based tax.In Kansas, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-topeka-04c238396da6305b90de6b7bb6283876?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">sales tax on groceries</a>&nbsp;will drop from 4% to 2% in its next step toward eventual elimination, producing a savings of $208 annually for a family spending an average of $200 weekly on groceries.About 1 million tax filers are expected to benefit from Connecticut's first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-general-assembly-budget-tax-cut-94f4b37c4d2dadf783ef5f3812a7c7c9?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">income tax rate reduction</a>&nbsp;since the mid-1990s. Lower-income workers and retirees also stand to benefit from expanded tax breaks.Missouri also will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-corporate-taxes-missouri-columbia-government-and-politics-0f1b81cef03a49fbe16199f24b5e22bd?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">reduce its income tax rate</a>&nbsp;while expanding tax exemptions for Social Security benefits and military training pay. Businesses will be able to claim tax credits for hiring interns or apprentices.Alabama will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-legislature-overtime-pay-tax-cut-da1c1b17042a0a84d37674453cc8e351?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">exempt overtime pay</a>&nbsp;from the state's income tax, though that lasts only until June 2025 unless renewed by lawmakers.

Happy New Year: States enact new laws on guns, porn and taxes 

COLORADO SPRINGS (AP)—A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third was arrested Saturday in the United Kingdom, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Kimberlee Singler's 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-mother-sought-children-killed-fbi-f80c549b1a4ac758c2e4cfef4f3dfd55">were found dead on Dec. 19</a>&nbsp;when police responded to a report of a burglary at their home. Police later said the report turned out to be unfounded.

Singler, 35, initially cooperated with police but disappeared during the investigation, said Ira Cronin, spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department. Authorities were unable to apprehend her after obtaining an arrest warrant Tuesday on charges of murder and attempted murder, among other allegations.

Singler was not under surveillance and was last seen in Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, said Cronin.

Authorities did not provide further details on the overseas arrest, but said they are working with multiple law enforcement agencies.

Attempts to reach Singler for comment through phone numbers listed for her were unsuccessful. Cronin said he didn't know if she has an attorney.

When police first responded to Singler’s home, they found her with minor injuries, the two children’s bodies and Singler’s 11-year-old daughter hurt. At first, Singler was treated as a burglary victim, said Cronin.

The injured girl was hospitalized for a few days before being released and is recovering in Colorado Springs, said Cronin.

The children’s deaths came amid an ongoing legal battle between Singler and her ex-husband over parenting time and other issues, according to court filings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703882523257.png" alt="Singler photo Colorado Springs Police" />
 <figcaption>Singler photo Colorado Springs Police</figcaption>
 </figure>COLORADO SPRINGS (AP)—A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third was arrested Saturday in the United Kingdom, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.Kimberlee Singler's 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-mother-sought-children-killed-fbi-f80c549b1a4ac758c2e4cfef4f3dfd55">were found dead on Dec. 19</a>&nbsp;when police responded to a report of a burglary at their home. Police later said the report turned out to be unfounded.Singler, 35, initially cooperated with police but disappeared during the investigation, said Ira Cronin, spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department. Authorities were unable to apprehend her after obtaining an arrest warrant Tuesday on charges of murder and attempted murder, among other allegations.Singler was not under surveillance and was last seen in Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, said Cronin.Authorities did not provide further details on the overseas arrest, but said they are working with multiple law enforcement agencies.Attempts to reach Singler for comment through phone numbers listed for her were unsuccessful. Cronin said he didn't know if she has an attorney.When police first responded to Singler’s home, they found her with minor injuries, the two children’s bodies and Singler’s 11-year-old daughter hurt. At first, Singler was treated as a burglary victim, said Cronin.The injured girl was hospitalized for a few days before being released and is recovering in Colorado Springs, said Cronin.The children’s deaths came amid an ongoing legal battle between Singler and her ex-husband over parenting time and other issues, according to court filings.___

Colorado mother suspected of killing her 2 children arrested 

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/29/state-labor-court-orders-postponement-of-pillen-order-to-end-remove-work/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

&nbsp;More than 100 state employees rallied against Gov. Pillen’s order to end remote work during a noon-hour event in early December at the State Capitol. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)&nbsp;&nbsp;

Editor’s note: this story has been updated to add comments from a spokeswoman for Gov. Pillen.

LINCOLN — A state labor court put a temporary halt Friday to Gov. Jim Pillen’s order to end “remote” working arrangements of state workers by Tuesday.

A three-member panel of the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations, citing a state statute, ruled that the “status quo” in working arrangements must continue until it can rule on an objection filed by the union that represents state employees.

The commission rejected an argument by the Pillen administration that&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/21/state-labor-court-hears-arguments-over-requested-delay-in-pillens-order-to-end-remote-work/">the “status quo” allowed it</a>&nbsp;to return working arrangements to those that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Nebraska Supreme Court has defined status quo to be the employment status, wages, hours, or terms and conditions of employment, which existed prior to the dispute,” the commission’s order stated.

The dispute began, the order stated, when Pillen issued his back-to-the-office order in November.

The Commission also cited previous rulings by the Nebraska Supreme Court that stated that since public employees cannot strike, they should be “afforded the same terms and conditions of employment” while the CIR weighs a labor dispute.

Justin Hubly, the executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, said in a press release that he was pleased by the commission’s ruling and that the labor panel recognized “the harm” that could ensure if the Jan. 2 order went into effect.

Hubly said 1,300 state employees responded to a union survey saying they were considering seeking new jobs because of the governor’s order and the loss of flexibility in working conditions.

“We need to do all we can to attract and retain a new generation of public servants,” he said, citing state statistics that indicate one in every five state jobs is currently unfilled.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Pillen, in a prepared statement, said that the CIR’s order applies narrowly, only to NAPE members who have a remote or hybrid work agreement.

All other public servants are coming back into the workplace, said spokeswoman Laura Strimple.

“Nebraskans have a common-sense expectation that public servants are coming to work and Gov. Pillen intends to deliver on that expectation,” Strimple said.

Pillen, in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/13/governor-orders-end-to-remote-work-directs-state-workers-back-to-offices/">his Nov. 9 executive order</a>, stated that the pandemic was over and that Nebraskans expect their leaders to “restore” the state’s workforce “to the posture it was prior to the pandemic.”

He said that employees were more productive working together in an office.

But NAPE disputed that, saying working from home helped attract more applicants for state jobs and was appropriate for many tasks that don’t require meeting the public. In addition, the union said it had saved the state money by reducing the need for office space.

After the governor rejected requests to negotiate over the proposed change, the union<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-state-employees-union-files-petition-against-executive-order-ending-remote-work/#:~:text=Pillen's%20executive%20order%2C%20signed%20Nov,8%20a.m.%20to%205%20p.m.">&nbsp;filed a formal grievance</a>&nbsp;with the Commission of Industrial Relations, maintaining that ordering such a change in working conditions was a “prohibited practice” that cannot be done without bargaining between the parties.

So the status quo — allowing state employees that were working from home or had “hybrid” schedules allowing work at home and at the office — will continue until the CIR issues its final ruling on the grievance.

Hubly has said that the order impacts a relatively small number of state employees, about 1,300. But those employees have said that such a change will disrupt their family and child care arrangements and cost them more in parking fees and commuting expenses.

Pillen officials, meanwhile, have said that agencies can grant exceptions, for instance, when there isn’t sufficient state office space to return to the office or when returning to an office would increase costs.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1704025933617.jpeg" alt=" More than 100 state employees rallied aganst Gov. Pillen’s order to end remote work during a noon-hour event in early December at the State Capitol. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> More than 100 state employees rallied aganst Gov. Pillen’s order to end remote work during a noon-hour event in early December at the State Capitol. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/29/state-labor-court-orders-postponement-of-pillen-order-to-end-remove-work/">Nebraska Examiner</a>&nbsp;More than 100 state employees rallied against Gov. Pillen’s order to end remote work during a noon-hour event in early December at the State Capitol. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)&nbsp;&nbsp;Editor’s note: this story has been updated to add comments from a spokeswoman for Gov. Pillen.LINCOLN — A state labor court put a temporary halt Friday to Gov. Jim Pillen’s order to end “remote” working arrangements of state workers by Tuesday.A three-member panel of the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations, citing a state statute, ruled that the “status quo” in working arrangements must continue until it can rule on an objection filed by the union that represents state employees.<h2>‘Status quo’</h2>The commission rejected an argument by the Pillen administration that&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/21/state-labor-court-hears-arguments-over-requested-delay-in-pillens-order-to-end-remote-work/">the “status quo” allowed it</a>&nbsp;to return working arrangements to those that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.“The Nebraska Supreme Court has defined status quo to be the employment status, wages, hours, or terms and conditions of employment, which existed prior to the dispute,” the commission’s order stated.The dispute began, the order stated, when Pillen issued his back-to-the-office order in November.The Commission also cited previous rulings by the Nebraska Supreme Court that stated that since public employees cannot strike, they should be “afforded the same terms and conditions of employment” while the CIR weighs a labor dispute.Justin Hubly, the executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, said in a press release that he was pleased by the commission’s ruling and that the labor panel recognized “the harm” that could ensure if the Jan. 2 order went into effect.Hubly said 1,300 state employees responded to a union survey saying they were considering seeking new jobs because of the governor’s order and the loss of flexibility in working conditions.“We need to do all we can to attract and retain a new generation of public servants,” he said, citing state statistics that indicate one in every five state jobs is currently unfilled.A spokeswoman for Gov. Pillen, in a prepared statement, said that the CIR’s order applies narrowly, only to NAPE members who have a remote or hybrid work agreement.All other public servants are coming back into the workplace, said spokeswoman Laura Strimple.“Nebraskans have a common-sense expectation that public servants are coming to work and Gov. Pillen intends to deliver on that expectation,” Strimple said.<h2>Workers more productive in office</h2>Pillen, in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/13/governor-orders-end-to-remote-work-directs-state-workers-back-to-offices/">his Nov. 9 executive order</a>, stated that the pandemic was over and that Nebraskans expect their leaders to “restore” the state’s workforce “to the posture it was prior to the pandemic.”He said that employees were more productive working together in an office.But NAPE disputed that, saying working from home helped attract more applicants for state jobs and was appropriate for many tasks that don’t require meeting the public. In addition, the union said it had saved the state money by reducing the need for office space.After the governor rejected requests to negotiate over the proposed change, the union<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-state-employees-union-files-petition-against-executive-order-ending-remote-work/#:~:text=Pillen's%20executive%20order%2C%20signed%20Nov,8%20a.m.%20to%205%20p.m.">&nbsp;filed a formal grievance</a>&nbsp;with the Commission of Industrial Relations, maintaining that ordering such a change in working conditions was a “prohibited practice” that cannot be done without bargaining between the parties.So the status quo — allowing state employees that were working from home or had “hybrid” schedules allowing work at home and at the office — will continue until the CIR issues its final ruling on the grievance.Hubly has said that the order impacts a relatively small number of state employees, about 1,300. But those employees have said that such a change will disrupt their family and child care arrangements and cost them more in parking fees and commuting expenses.Pillen officials, meanwhile, have said that agencies can grant exceptions, for instance, when there isn’t sufficient state office space to return to the office or when returning to an office would increase costs.

State labor court orders postponement of Pillen order to end remote work

Government rental assistance, a boon during the pandemic, has dwindled. Some states are working on their own solutions.

By CASEY QUINLAN,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>

Maine’s housing authority received $35 million in 2023 — the first time in 54 years it has received a direct appropriation from the state budget — to help build more affordable rental housing for communities that have struggled to keep up with high housing prices.

The state’s program provides funding to developers for affordable housing projects with between five and 18 units, a size that housing advocates say is sorely needed in many rural communities. That includes construction for new housing, reuse of buildings for housing and rehabilitation of existing housing.

Mark Wiesendanger, director of development at MaineHousing, said that as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates it was difficult for the independent state agency to support itself at the level the program needed, but that political leaders saw the value of their work and were able to make the historic investment because of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/17/state-budget-surplus-provides-another-65-million-for-affordable-housing/">$141 million budget surplus</a>.

Wiesendanger said there’s a lack of housing across the income spectrum in the state, which has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. He said some of the housing needs to be condemned and replaced, and that much of it is inefficient to heat. To make matters worse, when the pandemic began and many people with the ability to telecommute moved to the state, the population shift drove up housing prices and wages didn’t keep up.

“[The coast of Maine] is a very expensive place to live,” he said. “Folks that work there as fishermen or people who work in the local restaurants, local mechanics and firefighters, have a hard time paying to live in those towns.”

The scenery may be different from state to state but the housing landscape is much the same across the country: People are struggling to find a home they can afford. Legislators, state agencies and the Biden administration this year proposed a raft of legislation and programs to tackle the problem. Advocates say states need to do even more to prioritize housing needs.

From January 2019 to January 2023, the average rent in a U.S. city shot up 19.38%&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEHA">according to</a>&nbsp;St. Louis Fed data. In 22 states and the District of Columbia, people need a wage above&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/oor">$26 an hour</a>&nbsp;to afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to rental data from CoreLogic, a company that analyzes property, financial and consumer information, the median renter household pays $500 more than it did in 2020.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600338481812.png" alt="&nbsp;When pandemic rental funding and protections ended rents soared across the country and many people became homeless for the first time. New programs proposed by states and Biden administration aim to reverse that trend. Google image" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;When pandemic rental funding and protections ended rents soared across the country and many people became homeless for the first time. New programs proposed by states and Biden administration aim to reverse that trend. Google image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Government rental assistance, a boon during the pandemic, has dwindled. Some states are working on their own solutions.</h2>By CASEY QUINLAN,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>Maine’s housing authority received $35 million in 2023 — the first time in 54 years it has received a direct appropriation from the state budget — to help build more affordable rental housing for communities that have struggled to keep up with high housing prices.The state’s program provides funding to developers for affordable housing projects with between five and 18 units, a size that housing advocates say is sorely needed in many rural communities. That includes construction for new housing, reuse of buildings for housing and rehabilitation of existing housing.Mark Wiesendanger, director of development at MaineHousing, said that as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates it was difficult for the independent state agency to support itself at the level the program needed, but that political leaders saw the value of their work and were able to make the historic investment because of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/17/state-budget-surplus-provides-another-65-million-for-affordable-housing/">$141 million budget surplus</a>.Wiesendanger said there’s a lack of housing across the income spectrum in the state, which has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. He said some of the housing needs to be condemned and replaced, and that much of it is inefficient to heat. To make matters worse, when the pandemic began and many people with the ability to telecommute moved to the state, the population shift drove up housing prices and wages didn’t keep up.“[The coast of Maine] is a very expensive place to live,” he said. “Folks that work there as fishermen or people who work in the local restaurants, local mechanics and firefighters, have a hard time paying to live in those towns.”The scenery may be different from state to state but the housing landscape is much the same across the country: People are struggling to find a home they can afford. Legislators, state agencies and the Biden administration this year proposed a raft of legislation and programs to tackle the problem. Advocates say states need to do even more to prioritize housing needs.<h2>The problem renters are facing</h2>From January 2019 to January 2023, the average rent in a U.S. city shot up 19.38%&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEHA">according to</a>&nbsp;St. Louis Fed data. In 22 states and the District of Columbia, people need a wage above&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/oor">$26 an hour</a>&nbsp;to afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to rental data from CoreLogic, a company that analyzes property, financial and consumer information, the median renter household pays $500 more than it did in 2020.The combination of high mortgage rates and low housing inventory contributed to those soaring rental prices which hit just as the federal programs and protections put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic ended.Andrew Aurand, senior vice president for research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said long-standing problems in the housing market were exacerbated by rental inflation in 2021 going into 2022.“We saw that massive increase in rental inflation that fortunately has flattened now and rent prices have stabilized, but the damage has been done in terms of higher rents for those lowest income renters,” he said. “ … General demand for rental housing has increased quite significantly over the past decade. And so that has squeezed the lowest income renters even more as demand for rental housing has been pretty significant. It’s taken quite a while for supply to catch up.”As rents went up, the number of people without a home also increased. U.S. homelessness, as measured by a single night in January 2023, rose 12% from last year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_23_278">according to</a>&nbsp;a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report released on Dec. 15.But as Aurand noted, the situation is starting to show signs of improvement.There has been an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNDCON5MUSA">increase</a>&nbsp;in privately owned housing units under construction this year, from 932,000 in January 2023 to 988,000 in November 2023. In 2022, the Biden administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/16/president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-ease-the-burden-of-housing-costs/">released a plan</a>&nbsp;to increase the housing supply, which included expanding federal financing of loans for affordable multifamily development homes and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/27/biden-harris-administration-announces-actions-to-lower-housing-costs-and-boost-supply/">removing a cap</a>&nbsp;for larger loans to build and rehabilitate certain homes.But Mari Castaldi, director of state housing policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said that it’s up to states and localities to prioritize housing. States have recognized this, with lawmakers introducing more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/targeting-policies-that-help-families-stay-afloat">2,500 bills</a>&nbsp;related to housing and homelessness this year in 49 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. This is almost twice the number of bills the legislatures introduced in 2022. Ninety-three bills specific to rental assistance were introduced in 27 states this year compared to 56 bills in 12 states in 2022. Expect more of the same in the coming year.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/12/20/legislative-plan-to-overhaul-affordable-housing-prompts-applause-warnings/">New Jersey lawmakers</a>&nbsp;introduced an affordable housing “fix” just ahead of Christmas, and New Hampshire legislators have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/12/21/a-deep-need-lawmakers-propose-slew-of-2024-bills-to-address-housing-shortages/">prefiled numerous bills</a>&nbsp;aimed at adding more affordable housing for their session that starts on Jan. 3.“What we’re seeing is that more and more, given the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., and particularly the debates around the debt ceiling, the prospects for sorely needed expansion of investments in affordable housing resources is uncertain at best,” Castaldi said. “We’re seeing, really out of necessity, and based on the needs in their community, states are starting to step in and try to begin filling those massive gaps.”<h2>Affordable housing solutions across the U.S.</h2>The number of these programs varies greatly from state to state. New York, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and Illinois had the most rental housing programs in the U.S., with more than 17 programs, according to an October National Low Income Housing Coalition&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/state-and-local-investments-rental-housing-report.pdf">report</a>, and Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho and Montana were among the states with the fewest, with one to seven programs. The organization found zero programs in Arkansas and Wyoming but cautioned that this may simply mean there is no online information about them, not that they absolutely do not exist in these states. The Arkansas Development Finance Authority told States Newsroom that it administers a state Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program similar to the federal program that encourages affordable rental housing development.Aurand said some states and cities are also finding creative ways to support affordable housing efforts, and Denver is one example. The city’s marijuana tax revenue provided&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.westword.com/marijuana/denver-crosses-500-million-marijuana-tax-revenue-18073791#:~:text=Dispensary%20sales%20mirrored%20the%20same,fund%20local%20affordable%20housing%20programs.">$8.7 million</a>&nbsp;for affordable housing assistance this year. One downside of this approach, however, is that it is dependent on those sales, which have been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/next-with-kyle-clark/where-does-denver-marijuana-money-go/73-34246b01-9e80-417f-b832-145affa468c3#:~:text=Denver%20hit%20%24500%20million%20in,sale%20on%20January%201%2C%202014.&amp;text=DENVER%20%E2%80%94%20Every%20time%20someone%20lights,couple%20cents%20in%20tax%20revenue.">falling</a>.The funding for these programs comes down to the political will to fund programs as well as funding existing resources to support them, housing advocates said.“Generally speaking, the states with the largest number of programs tend to be more socially progressive in terms of government programs, so I do think that plays a factor,” Aurand said. “Given that we focus on extremely low-income renters, it takes a lot of resources to adequately serve the lowest income population to meet their needs.”States can also come up with solutions that are more tailored to their particular housing needs. Wiesendanger, of MaineHousing, explained that although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is helpful for addressing rental affordability in Maine, it has its drawbacks. It can be hard for some developers to use the program to build more affordable rental housing, he said.“It requires a certain amount of scale to work because there’s so many fixed costs in those projects — design fees, legal fees, things of that nature,” he said. “ … So in these rural areas where, let’s say, they need 15 units in a town, but these projects really need to be 20, 30, 40, 50 units to work, it’s really hard to make that program work there.”He said the Maine program also comes with fewer requirements so that less sophisticated developers can use it.<h2>Finding the political will</h2>Minnesota’s approach to affordable rental housing targets many different populations with smaller programs, such as Bridges Rental Assistance, which focuses on people and families where at least one person has a serious mental illness. The program assists them while they wait to get into another housing program, such as Section 8 housing. The Homework Starts with Home program is designed to help children stay in their school through supporting their family’s housing.Housing advocates in Minnesota would still like to see larger programs, however, to serve the full needs of people in the state. According to Minnesota Housing Partnership’s analysis of 2021 census data, more than three-quarters of low-income people in the state are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, which means they are “cost-burdened.” Fifty-seven percent of Black renters were cost-burdened compared with 45% of white renters. Sixty-three percent of seniors had to spend more than 30% of their income on housing.Elizabeth Glidden, deputy director of Minnesota Housing Partnership, said she’s seeing more political support for rental assistance in Minnesota than in other states. She said these conditions may have been influenced by a very large&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/06/05/how-minnesota-will-spend-1-billion-on-housing/">budget surplus</a>, which she said has made it easier to bring more attention to housing. But she added that she has also seen more bipartisan support for affordable housing than in the past.“Does that mean that we are meeting the need? It doesn’t mean that we are meeting the need. It just means that there has been over time and across bipartisan lawmakers, you’re seeing more attention that has been spent on meeting housing needs than some other locations around the country,” she said.The Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, which helps tenants with rent deposits and rent payments, is an example of that shift, since the program once was funded at $20 million for two years to serve the entire state but has been dramatically expanded this year. In March, the Senate voted to provide $50 million for the program, which received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kttc.com/2023/03/29/mn-senate-allocates-50m-homelessness-aid/">bipartisan support</a>, and Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law later that month.Jewelean Jackson, 74, has lived in Minneapolis for about 50 years, and is an advocate for changing housing policy in the city. Jackson has received housing assistance that she said was vital to ensuring that she didn’t become unhoused again. Jackson said she has been living in a one-bedroom apartment for the past three years. Before getting the apartment she spent eight years living in shelters or her car, but was able to avoid living in an encampment, she said. She was worried about losing housing again when her rent increased from about $270 a month to almost $500 a month in 2022 but was able to stave off eviction from December 2022 to March 2023 with rental assistance funds.“Society always all of a sudden discovers that it has this heart when there’s a tragedy,” Jackson said of changes in housing policy that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. “And so as a result of COVID, it has loosened the system’s strings. It has not been as difficult to get in and out of some of the programs and people have been a little bit more sympathetic as a result of COVID. But we’re a far cry from being where we need to be in terms of homelessness in this country, including Minnesota.”