Articles of Association
Articles of Association and By-Laws of the South Eastern New York Area Committee and Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous Note 1
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Articles of Association
The name of the organization shall be the South Eastern New York Area Committee and Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The purpose of the organization is to serve the needs of the AA groups within its geographical area and to function as a constituent part of the AA General Service Conference of the United States and Canada. It shall elect, every even-numbered year, a Delegate to the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous of the United States and Canada, and function within the guidelines and spirit of The AA Service Manual, the AA Twelve Concepts for World Service, the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the General Warranties of the Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous which state:
In all its proceedings, the General Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the AA Tradition, taking great care that the Conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, be its prudent financial principle; that none of the Conference members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others; that all important decisions be reached by discussion, vote, and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimity; that no Conference action shall ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; that though the Conference may act for the service of Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain democratic in thought and action. Note 2
Article III
The
Area served by the Committee and Assembly shall consist of the counties
of New York, Kings, Bronx, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk,
Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Putnam in the State of New
York.
Article IV
The members of the Committee and Assembly shall be:
- The Delegate
- The Alternate Delegate
- The Chair
- The Registrar
- The Treasurer
- The District Committee Members
- The Chairs of the Standing Committees
- The past delegates
- County District Committee Member Chairs and the Hispanic District Committee Member Chair.
- The Recording Secretary, who shall prepare (after consultation with the Delegate and Chair), duplicate, fold and transmit the requisite copies of the minutes of Committee and Assembly meetings to the Registrar for distribution.
The members of the Assembly shall consist of
the above Committee members and the General Service Representatives
elected by the AA groups of the Area.
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Article V
The
terms of office of Committee and Assembly members, with the exception
of the appointed Chair of the standing Convention Committee, shall be
two years. The term of the Convention Committee Chair shall be one
year. The duties of the Delegate, officers, committee members, and
Assembly members shall be as specified in The AA Service Manual.
Article VI
The Standing Committees shall be:
- Corrections
- Public Information
- Cooperation with the Professional Community
- Literature
- Convention
- Agenda
- Newsletter (The Link)
- Archives
- Grapevine/La Vina
- Office Supervision
- Intergroup Liaison
- Treatment Facilities
- Accessibility/Special Needs
- Website
- Translation
Article VII
The
Area shall be divided into geographical districts, consisting of
varying numbers of AA groups. Each district is entitled to be
represented on the Committee by a District Committee Member, elected by
the General Service Representatives of the district. The DCM shall
serve as a link between the Area Committee and the General Service
Representatives. If a DCM is not active in the Committee and fails to
attend three or more Committee meetings in succession, the GSRs in the
District may elect another on their own initiative or by request of the
Committee or Chair.
Article VIII
The
General Service Representatives are to be elected by their AA group to
serve for a term of two years. The GSR's duties are to serve as a link
between the group and AA as a whole. The GSR represents the group
conscience, reporting the group's wishes to the Committee members and
to the Delegate, who passes them on to the AA General Service
Conference. The GSRs shall represent their groups at the Assembly and
elect new Committee members and Delegates.
Article IX
1.
The Committee shall meet at least seven times per year. Additional
meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chair. At the Committee
meetings, reports of the officers, Treasurer, and standing committees
shall be presented and other matters considered which affect the Area's
interest and activities.
2. The Assembly shall meet a minimum of five times each year. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Chair. The Assembly shall receive reports on the Committee's activities, the Delegate's activities, and matters of interest to the area. Every even-numbered year, in September, the Assembly shall elect its Delegate and officers for a term to commence January 1 following the election.
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Article X
Every
AA group in the Area is entitled to choose a General Service
Representative to be sent to the SENY Assemblies for the purpose of
representing their group and electing new Committee members. Unless
otherwise amended in the by-laws, the Area Committee elections and
officer qualifications shall be as outlined in "Chapter IV" of The AA
Service Manual.
Article XI
A quorum for a Committee meeting shall consist of the following:
A. The meeting Chair can only be the currently elected Chair, Delegate, Alternate Delegate or Secretary.
B. At least one other elected officer shall be present, and a recording secretary appointed if necessary.
C. At least twelve registered District Committee Members shall be present. DCMCs in counties that have no district structure shall also be considered in determining the quorum for Committee meetings.
D. A quorum may conduct all the business of the committee and make all financial expenditures.
Article XII
If
for any reason, the organization shall cease to function, all monies,
records, and other property held in its name shall become the property
of its successor organization, or if none such exists, it shall become
the property of the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Article XIII
The
General Service Representatives and District Committee Members of each
county shall constitute the county General Service Meeting for their
respective counties, and shall elect a County District Committee Member
Chair who shall serve as chair. The General Service Representatives of
primarily Spanish-speaking AA groups and District Committee Members
elected by them may, as an alternative, constitute the Hispanic General
Service Meeting and may elect a Hispanic District Committee Member Chair
who shall serve as Chair. The county and Hispanic General Service
meetings shall be organized to coordinate matters of interest to
participating groups or districts, subject to coordination with the
South Eastern New York Area Committee and Assembly of Alcoholics
Anonymous on matters affecting the Area or AA as a whole.
Article XIV
The Articles of Association can be amended by a two-thirds vote of the committee.
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Article XV
1.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the
organization is organized exclusively for one or more of the purposes
as specified in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) of
1954, and shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried
on by an organization exempt from federal income tax under IRC section
50l(c)(3) or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax
laws.
2. No part of the net earnings of the
organization shall inure to the benefit of any member, trustee,
director, officer of the organization, or any private individual
(except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered
to or for the organization), and no member, trustee, officer of the
organization or any private individual shall be entitled to share in
the distribution of any of the organization's assets on dissolution of
the organization.
3. No substantial part of the activities of
the organization shall be carrying on propaganda, or otherwise
attempting to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided by
Internal Revenue Code section 501[h]), and does not participate in, or
intervene in (including the publication or distribution of statements),
any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
4. In the event of dissolution all of the
remaining assets and property of the organization shall, after
necessary expenses thereof, be distributed to another organization
exempt under IRC section 501(c)(3), or corresponding provisions of any
subsequent federal tax laws, or to the federal government, or state or
local government for a public purpose, subject to the approval of a
Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
5. In any taxable year in which the organization is a private foundation as described in IRC section 509(a), the organization shall distribute its income for said period at such time and manner as not to subject it to tax under IRC section 4942, and the organization shall not a) engage in any act of self-dealing as defined in IRC section 4941(d), retain any excess business holdings as defined in IRC section 4943(c), b) make any investments in such manner as to subject the organization to tax under IRC section 4944, or c) make any taxable expenditures as defined in IRC section 4945(d) or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal tax laws.
Article XVI
These
articles replace all prior articles of association adopted by the South
Eastern New York Area Committee and Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous
since the time of its inception in 1951.
By-Laws
With the exception of articles XV and XVI which are not part of the by-laws, the by-laws are identical to the articles of association, using the words "by-laws" instead of "articles of association" wherever appropriate. It is desirable unless specifically noted otherwise, that amendments to the by-laws should also amend the articles of association.
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Notes
1-The above reflects SENY's Articles of Association and By-Laws through the changes at the Area Assembly of April 2011. Footnotes and amendment dates are not included here, but may be found in the on-line and printed versions of SENY's Service Handbook and Articles of Association and By-Laws, 10th Revision, January 2011.
2- From, The AA Service Manual combined with Twelve Concepts for World Service, page 2. Copyright© AAWS, Inc. Used with permission.