Here’s a guide to key policy matters that are likely to be addressed and heavily lobbied in the 2013 legislative session.

GOP attorney Fritz Knaak was notified of the dismissal in a letter from the board dated Oct. 23, according to documents obtained by rural DFL blogger Sally Jo Sorensen. The senators have accused Ritchie of using his office to speak out against the voter ID constitutional amendment on this fall’s ballot.

Julie Bunn was one of five DFL candidates who, along with the state DFL Party and the DFL Senate Caucus, were accused of colluding on independent expenditures made by the party. Bunn said she received the board's decision in a letter dated Oct. 16.

Minnesota Majority and its executive director, Dan McGrath, have engaged in lobbying at the Capitol, but were not required to register with the state, according to a ruling Tuesday by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. That's because they did not meet the threshold for lobbying activities that triggers the registration requirement under state law.

The main group opposing the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage has raised $2.56 million since the close of the pre-primary reporting period in July. Since the group's founding after the marriage amendment was passed by state legislators in 2011, the group has raised by $8.2 million.

This summer Minnesota’s campaign finance agency will make its way through a couple of pending challenges brought by a watchdog group that’s taking a number of Republican-centered causes to task.

The complaint against Minnesota for Marriage says that group did not disclose the name of donors who contributed more than $100 to its efforts.

The Campaign Finance Board ruled that the Rybak for Governor campaign violated state law by accepting three campaign contributions from lobbyists during the 2010 legislative session.

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board has dismissed a complaint alleging reporting violations by Sen. Dave Thompson. Earlier this month the Minnesota DFL Party filed a complaint against the GOP legislator arguing that $70,000 in payments from the state Republican Party should have been disclosed in a public filing.

Campaign Finance Board Chairman Gary Goldsmith said, per state law, he could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.