Let Us Vote for a Balanced Budget Amendment

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Let Us Vote for a Balanced Budget Amendment is a campaign in support of an Article V convention for a balanced budget amendment. It describes itself as the group "leading up the Balanced Budget effort to fix the country and ratify the 28th Amendment." Also known as "Let Us Vote for a BBA"(LUVBBA), the campaign lists David Biddulph and Thomas Llewellyn as its leadership. Biddulph is listed as a co-founder, while Llewellyn is listed as the Michigan Chairman.[1] Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, called a BBA "a shameless GOP attempt to shred Social Security and the whole safety net after busting the federal budget with massive tax cuts."[2]

LUVBBA lists three "BBA principles" on its website:[3]

  • "Congress MUST count current Article V BBA Applications, and designate Philadelphia and July 4, 2019 as the place and date for the convention."
  • "Congress MUST adopt the principle that if an amendment is proposed by a convention of the states, it will be ratified by a vote of the people through the state convention process"
  • "Congress MUST declare that no amendment outside the scope of balancing the federal budget will be forwarded to the states for ratification"

Leadership

David Biddulph is described on the LUVBBA website as "a semi-retired entrepreneur and citizen activist who has been a leader since 1992 in empowering citizens to vote for state and national constitutional amendments." He is listed on the American Legislative Exchange Council website as a co-founder of the Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force (BBATF)[4] Biddulph co-founded a solar power company with Susie Biddulph, his wife, "managed corporate pension funds for National Bank of Detroit," started a for-profit company called "online democracy" as well as another one that compiles new company data from public records into a database, "The Market Force Corporation."[1]

As a "citizen activist" Biddulph's political activities are listed as founding Tax Cap Committee, leading the "Save Our Homes" Amendment campaign -- which "has dealt heavy blows to local government finances."[5] -- and co-founding the "Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force and Foundation."[1]

Thomas Llewellyn is a conservative activist who "has testified before several state committees"[1] including Michigan,[6] Nevada,[7] and Wisconsin.[8]

Ties to ALEC

In a letter to the American Legislative Exchange Council Board of Directors, Biddulph stated ALEC "has long been a champion of Article V," and that LUVBBA is an "Article V campaign[] supported by ALEC."[9] LUVBBA co-signed onto a coalition letter with ALEC Action in April 2018.[10]

Biddulph heads Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force which lists ALEC and the Heartland Institute among its partner organizations[11]

LUVBBA presented at the 2018 ALEC States & Nation[12] and the corporate bill mill has a draft model resolution titled the "'LET US VOTE FOR A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT' RESOLUTION"on its website.[13]

About ALEC
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.

Core Financials

2019[14]

  • Total Revenue: $0
  • Total Expenses: $5,771
  • Net Assets: -$26,791

2018[15]

  • Total Revenue: $0
  • Total Expenses: $21,020
  • Net Assets: -$21,020

Personnel

Staff

As of July 2021:[16]

  • David Biddulph, co-founder
  • Thomas Llewellyn, Michigan Chairman
  • Dr. Barry Poulson, co-founder
  • Mae James, Executive Director
  • Mark Guyer, Legislative Coordinator for the States

Contact Information

Let Us Vote for a Balanced Budget Amendment
PO Box 193
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32170
Phone: (386)-423-4744
Website: https://letusvoteforbba.org
Email: info@letusvoteforBBA.org

Articles and Resources

IRS Form 990 Filings

2019

2018

Documents

Let Us Vote for A BBA Letter to WI Politicians

David Biddulph Response to AP's "Budget Hawks Hatch Plan to Force Constitutional Convention"

Let Us Vote for a BBA ALEC 2020 Annual Meeting Presentation

Articles

Infighting, Legal Questions Slow ALEC Push for Second Constitutional Convention by Mary Bottari

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Let Us Vote for a BBA Leadership organizational website, accessed Dec. 10 2018
  2. ↑ Karen Hobert Flynn Bust the budget then vote to balance it: GOP's shameless bid to shred safety net USA Today April 11, 2018
  3. ↑ Let Us Vote for a BBA home organizational website, accessed Dec. 10 2018
  4. ↑ ALEC David Biddulph organizational website, accessed Dec. 10 2018
  5. ↑ David Bauerlein With Save Our Homes, homeowners’ savings are governments’ loss Florida Times-Union Feb 11, 2017
  6. ↑ Michigan State Government Llewellyn Testimony Government document, Jan. 30, 2014
  7. ↑ Nevada State Government MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE OPERATIONS AND ELECTION Government document, April 17, 2017
  8. ↑ Wisconsin State Government Record of Committee Proceedings Government document, March 28, 2017
  9. ↑ David Biddulph ALEC Board Letter From David Biddulph 1-12-16 accessed by the Center for Media and Democracy, Feb 12, 2016
  10. ↑ LET US VOTE FOR A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT Letter to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy, April 11, 2018
  11. ↑ Mary Bottari Infighting, Legal Questions Slow ALEC Push for Second Constitutional Convention PR Watch August 2, 2017
  12. ↑ David Armiak ALEC Embraces Trumpism, Climate Catastrophe, and School Privatization at Policy Summit ExposedbyCMD Nov 28. 2018
  13. ↑ ALEC DRAFT: LET US VOTE FOR A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT' RESOLUTION organization website, accessed Dec. 10 2018
  14. ↑ Let Us Vote for a BBA, 2019 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, February 17, 2020.
  15. ↑ Let Us Vote for a BBA, 2018 IRS Form 990, Internal Revenue Service, June 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ Let Us Vote for a BBA, Meet the Team, Let Us Vote for a BBA, accessed July 2021.
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