2of4 Motion to accept participation principals

District Committee Participation Principals 2008-2009

   The groups of District 1, Delegate Area 34, created the District Committee, by vote of group conscience, to provide a general service structure that will help connect our AA groups to AA as a whole. The guiding principal for its creation are found in Tradition 9, “AA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.”

   The AA groups instruct the District Committee, on their behalf, to ensure each AA member’s voting privileges, and subsequent representation in the District Committee, will follow these principals. The District Committee recognizes the autonomy of each AA Group. Therefore, these principals are only to guide the District Committee. The groups are at liberty to arrive at their group conscience in any manner they determine appropriate.

   The district committee recognizes the individual AA members voting privilege in their home group, as described by the AA Service Manual in Chapter Two, “The home group affords individual AAs the privilege of voting on issues that affect the Fellowship as a whole; [the home group] is the very basis of the service structure.

   The district committee recognizes the definition of a group in the Long Form of Tradition Three, “Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought AA membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholic gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an AA group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.”

   The district committee recognizes the group representative, GSR, as defined by the AA Service Manual, “The general service representative has the job of linking his or her group with AA as a whole. The GSR represents the voice of the group conscience, reporting the group thoughts to the district committee member and to the delegate, who passes them on to the Conference.”

   The AA groups instruct the District Committee, on their behalf, to ensure voting privileges in the District Committee be guided by two important principals.

   The first principal comes from, Tradition 4, “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole.” The District Committee is equally accountable to all groups. It must act equally - in the interest of all groups. We protect group autonomy by making each group equal in voting representation; one group – one vote.

   The second principal comes from Concept 4, “At all responsible levels, we ought to maintain a traditional “Right of Participation,” allowing a voting representation in reasonable proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge.”  This means, when voting on issues in district committee meetings, each group, DCM, and District Officer, is permitted one vote. Alternates not filling in for an absent group representative or district officers, and guests, shall abstain from voting. Alternates and guest are invited to participate when discussing business and in sharing sessions, but are not provided voting participation.