Dean Black unfurls 'FAN' club, aims to unseat Brown in US House

By Kay B. Day

Dean Black planted corn with his children on the family farm.Republican candidates are abundant these days, a fact that should not surprise because voters are getting a serious wakeup call from Washington. One race heating up Florida bears strong resemblance to what has become a mythic race for the US Senate seat being sought by GOP favorite Marco Rubio. GOP candidate Dean Black is unfurling the Fix America Now plan—FAN for short—as part of his campaign for the US House of Representatives.

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HR 1913 will spend millions for an unconstitutional law

Technically, HR 1913 will provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes. Sounds so simple. But this legislation will not only expand existing assaults on freedom of speech, it will also cost a bundle and further intrude the federal government into local and state jurisdictions. While the law does stipulate federal assistance will be provided “at the request of a State, local, or tribal law enforcement agency,” the language is troublesome and the costs will certainly grow beyond the $10 million estimated by the Congressional Budget Office for 2010.

The bill panders to advocacy groups and community groups with the fiscal tool every politician loves—federal grants. HR 1913 says, “In implementing the grant program under this subsection, the Office of Justice Programs shall work closely with grantees to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties, including community groups and schools, colleges, and universities, are addressed through the local infrastructure developed under the grants.”

And the way the bill is worded, almost any violent crime could fit the provisions of HR 1913 governing “offenses involving actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.”

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