Minnesota Lawyer

State Rep. Steve Simon announced on Tuesday that he's running for Secretary of State. The five-term legislator from Hopkins becomes the third DFLer to join the field.

Minnesota Majority can't pay its bills. The conservative advocacy group sent out an emergency fundraising appeal on Tuesday saying that it needs to raise $20,000 by the end of the week -- or will be forced to close its doors permanently.

Aaron Miller announced on Tuesday that he plans to seek the GOP nomination in the 1st Congressional District. The U.S. Army veteran is the second announced Republican challenger to DFL U.S. Rep. Tim Walz.

Raymond Messer, who has been civilly committed as a sexually dangerous person since 2011, committed suicide on Friday at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program's Moose Lake facility, according to multiple sources familiar with the incident.

**UPDATED** Dennis Nguyen is seeking the GOP nomination for Secretary of State. The chairman of Shanghai-based investment firm New Asia Partners expects to make an official announcement in September.

Minnesota’s health plans are engaged in something akin to a game of chicken. On the last Friday in July, the commissioners of the Department of Health and the Department of Commerce issued a request that the plans change the effective date to September 6 for products to be sold through MNsure, the state-run insurance marketplace.

In theory at least, state Rep. Jim Abeler should be a formidable candidate for the GOP nomination in the 2014 U.S. Senate contest. The Anoka Republican brings 15 years of legislative experience at the Capitol and a deep understanding of health care issues.

A pair of lawsuits seeking to invalidate legislation that allows in-home child-care providers to join unions were dismissed by a federal judge on Sunday. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis determined that the claims were not yet "ripe" because any potential damages have not yet occurred.

Minnesota has apparently found a way to release details about what products will be sold on the state-run insurance marketplace -- MNsure -- when it opens for business on October 1.

Minnesota’s Medicaid rates for 2012 and 2013 have yet to be approved by the federal government. At issue is whether the state’s methodology for calculating those rates is credible.