Capitol View for January 30

Good morning. Have nice weather, need tee time.

Republicans who have been in search of a U.S. Senate candidate to take on Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar have a new option. Retired Navy Commander Joe Fraser is introducing himself this morning at an event in Duluth. Fraser said he served in intelligence during a quarter century of Navy service that took him around the globe. The Minnestrista resident is currently president in the Minnesota chapter of an organization called the Navy League and also works in the banking industry. It won’t be easy taking on Klobuchar, who had $4 million stocked up as of October and is in search of a fourth term. Klobuchar has comfortably won each Minnesota race, but Fraser served notice he’ll use her national presidential ambitions against her. Fraser’s entrance makes five Republicans who have taken campaign steps.

The 3rd Congressional District GOP race is expanding as well. Technology consulting company owner Jamie Page is joining the race for the west-suburban congressional seat. It’s the one that Rep. Dean Phillips will leave behind; he’s running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Page is running on a biblical theme. "God put us all together on this amazing planet right now. Not 200 years ago when our great country was young. Not 100 years from now. God put us here together today. This is our time. This is our watch,” he said on his newly launched web page.

Third-term Rep. Pete Stauber has officially announced his plan to seek another term in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. Stauber’s decision to try for another two years wasn’t much of a mystery. He’s likely to face a rematch with Democrat Jen Schultz, an economist and former state lawmaker. Stauber is a former police officer. He talked about combating inflation and problems with unauthorized immigration in kicking off his campaign. “Minnesotans are known for our grit and resolve and it’s in our nature to face challenges head-on, working hard until the job is done. We can all agree that the job is far from finished,” Stauber said. He had more than $776,000 in his campaign account at the start of October; we’ll get an updated tally this week.

On the state level, new fundraising reports will also be out this week for cash collected through the end of 2023. Minnesota House Democrats, who are defending their narrow majority in the fall election, are touting a record haul. The DFL House caucus said it took in more than $2 million and entered the election year with $1.23 million in the bank. Outside groups will plow lots of money into the race for House control, but the caucuses have ability to coordinate with candidates that the groups don’t.

It’s tax filing season. The individual income tax filing window for 2023 opened on Monday. Minnesotans can file their state and federal tax returns — or seek an extension — before April 15. As always, state officials are promoting electronic filing as a smoother process and route to a faster refund. There are some recent tax law changes to take note of, although they don’t affect every taxpayer. The Department of Revenue goes over some of them here . Also important to remember: Anybody who got one of those state tax rebates last fall will have federal tax liability for that, even though the state tried to keep them clear of taxation. A Revenue spokesperson had this to say: “Tax software providers determine the criteria for the free versions of their products. Eligibility to free file varies by product and depends on income and other factors. Free electronic filing options, including products that include form 1099-MISC, are listed on our website.”

Gov. Tim Walz is looking for some Supreme talent. The governor said he has opened the selection process for two upcoming vacancies on the Minnesota Supreme Court. His picks will replace Associate Justices G. Barry Anderson and Margaret Chutich. They’re the third and fourth appointments Walz will have to the court (he also elevated the chief justice). Applications will be taken through Feb. 26. The openings will come later in the year.

Minnesota has a new report card system for assisted living facilities, and the first grades are in. It has been in the works for years after the 2019 Legislature directed the Department of Human Services to put the tool together. The database aims to provide residents and their families more information about the 2,200 assisted living facilities around the state, which serve more than 63,000 people. There is precedent: Minnesota also releases a nursing home report card. The assisted living rundown provides ratings for comparison based on inspection data as well as resident and family surveys.