BYLAWS of the SUFFOLK COUNTY INTERGROUP of OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS (OA) DATE ADOPTED OR REVISED: March 11, 2024 

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The name of this organization shall be the Suffolk Intergroup (Intergroup # 09036), hereinafter known as "SI." 

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ARTICLE II – PURPOSE 

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Section 1 - Purpose 

The primary purpose of SI is to aid those with the problem of compulsive eating by carrying the message of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, guided by the Twelve Concepts of OA Service and to serve and represent the OA groups from which SI is formed. 

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Section 2 - The Twelve Steps 

The Twelve Steps are suggested for recovery in the fellowship of Overeaters Anonymous. The Twelve Steps are: 

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1. We admitted we were powerless over food - that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs. 

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Section 3 - The Twelve Traditions 

The Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous ensure the well-being of the groups. The Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous are: 

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon OA unity. 2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. 3. The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. 4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole. 

5. Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers. 

6. An OA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the Overeaters Anonymous name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose. 

7. Every OA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. 1

8. Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers. 

9. OA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. 

10. Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence, the Overeaters Anonymous name ought never be drawn into public controversy. 

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television and other public media of communication. 

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. 

Section 4 - The Twelve Concepts of OA Service 

The Twelve Concepts of OA Service are a set of service principles that help us apply the Steps and Traditions in our service work and define and guide the practices of the service structures that conduct the business of OA. 

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The Twelve Concepts of OA Service are: 

1. The ultimate responsibility of authority for OA world services reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship. 

2. The OA groups have delegated to World Service Business Conference the active maintenance of our world services; thus, World Service Business Conference is the voice, authority and effective conscience of OA as a whole. 

3. The right of decision, based on trust, makes effective leadership possible. 

4. The right of participation ensures equality of opportunity for all in the decision-making process. 

5. Individuals have the right of appeal and petition in order to ensure that their opinions and personal grievances will be carefully considered. 

6. The World Service Business Conference has entrusted the Board of Trustees with the primary responsibility for the administration of Overeaters Anonymous. 

7. The Board of Trustees has legal rights and responsibilities accorded to them by OA Bylaws, Subpart A; the rights and responsibilities of the World Service Business Conference are accorded to it by Tradition and by OA Bylaws, Subpart B. 

8. The Board of Trustees has delegated to its Executive Committee the responsibility to administer the OA World Service Office. 

9. Able, trusted servants, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are indispensable for effective functioning at all service levels. 

10. Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority; therefore duplication of efforts is avoided. 

11. Trustee administration of the World Service Office should always be assisted by the best standing committees, executives, staffs and consultants. 

12. The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that: 

a. No OA committee or service body shall ever become the seat of perilous wealth or power; 

b. Sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA's prudent financial principle; 

c. No OA member shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority; 

d. All important decisions shall be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever 

possible, by substantial unanimity; 

e. No service action shall ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public 

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controversy; and 

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f. No OA service committee or service board shall ever perform any acts of 

government, and each shall always remain democratic in thought and action. 

ARTICLE III - MEMBERS 

Section 1 - Membership 

Membership of SI shall consist of the following: 

1. The Intergroup Board (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) 

2. Intergroup representatives (IRs): Who shall consist of one member from each group within the geographic area. Geographic area shall be defined as Suffolk County, New York. 

3. Committee chairs. (NOTE: A committee chair, like every other intergroup member, will have only one vote even if also serving as an intergroup representative.) 

Visitors are welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion. 

Section 2–Qualifications 

Qualifications of eligibility for membership in the SI: 

Those groups within the geographic definition of SI that have formally registered with the World Service Office and indicated their intention to belong to SI may be considered members. 

SI endorses the definition of an OA group in Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article V, Section 1, as written and as it may be amended by a future World Service Business Conference. 

These points shall define an Overeaters Anonymous group: 

1. As a group, they meet to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of 

Overeaters Anonymous, guided by the Twelve Concepts of OA Service. 

2. All who have the desire to stop eating compulsively are welcome in the group. 

3. No member is required to practice any actions in order to remain a member or to have a voice (share at a meeting). 

4. As a group, they have no affiliation other than Overeaters Anonymous. 

5. It has affiliated as an Overeaters Anonymous group by registering with the World Service Office. 

Each group shall be entitled to one vote through its elected IR(s). 

No group may be registered with another Intergroup. 

Section 3 Intergroup Representatives (IR) 

Intergroup representatives shall be selected by the group conscience of the group they represent. Each IR shall be selected by any method deemed appropriate by their group. These IRs shall serve for a period designated by their group, always subject to recall by the group they represent. Each group shall be free to designate an alternate delegate when the necessity arises. Virtual meetings (meetings which replicate face- to-face meetings through electronic media) may also select an intergroup representative. IRs should be selected for their willingness to serve, commitment to the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA, abstinence, length of time in program and length of time in service. 

The primary responsibility of the IR is to represent their group at all SI meetings, to act as a liaison 4

between SI and their group, to see that all communications pertaining to Sl are made available and, where requested, read aloud to the group. 

Section 4 - Membership with voice and no vote: 

Any member of the Fellowship who is not a duly elected representative may participate and cannot vote. ARTICLE IV – THE INTERGROUP BOARD 

Section 1 - The Intergroup Board 

The Board shall consist of at least a chair, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer. 

The immediate past chair shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Intergroup Board for one year. The Intergroup Board may also include other positions such as the World Service Business Conference delegate(s), Committee chair(s) or regional representative(s). Their duties shall be set by policy adopted by the Intergroup and contained in the Intergroup job descriptions. 

This Intergroup Board shall serve as the executive board. In the event the chair of the board should be unable to attend any meeting of the board, the vice chair shall serve as chair for that meeting. If the vice chair is not present, the next highest-ranking officer shall serve as follows: 

Secretary 

Treasurer 

Section 2 - Nominations to the Intergroup Board 

Nominations to the board may be made from the floor at the time of election. 

A nominating committee may be formed at the discretion of the Intergroup Board. Section 3 - Qualifications for the Intergroup Board 

1. Six months of current abstinence; 

2. Working the Twelve Steps of OA for one year; 

3. Familiarity with the Twelve Traditions of OA; 

4. Familiarity with the Twelve Concepts of OA Service; 

5. Regular attendee of an active group for one year and to have been an IR for a period of seven months. 

The World Service Business Conference delegate and alternate must meet the qualifications and requirements as outlined and defined in the Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article X, Section 3, and as required for election to the Board by Article IV, Section 4, of these bylaws, which say at this time they shall have at least one year of current abstinence and at least two years of service beyond the group level. 

The regional representative and alternate (whether or not a member of the Intergroup Board) shall meet qualifications and requirements as outlined and defined in the Region 6 Bylaws, and as required for election to the Board by Article IV, Section 4, of these bylaws. 

Section 4 - Method of Election 

Elections shall be held annually at a meeting specified for that purpose. 

To be eligible for election to the Board, nominee must: 

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● Meet all qualifications as defined in Article IV, Section 3. 

● Understand responsibilities of the position as defined in 

Article IV, Section 6, and as defined in the Intergroup job 

descriptions. 

In order to be elected to membership on the Intergroup Board, a nominee must be present at the election meeting and must receive a majority vote of the IRs present and voting. 

Section 5 - Term of Office 

Board members shall be elected to serve for a period of two years. 

On even-numbered years the Chair and Secretary shall be elected. 

On odd-numbered years the Vice Chair and Treasurer shall be elected. 

Newly elected officers shall begin service at the Intergroup meeting following their election. 

Board members shall serve no more than two consecutive terms in the same office. After an interval of two years, a member may again be eligible for election to their prior office. 

Upon election to the board, members shall cease to be a representative of their group and that group shall elect a new IR. 

Section 6 - Responsibilities of the Intergroup Board 

The Board shall be required to attend all monthly Intergroup meetings and shall consist of the following: 

Chair: Shall preside at all regular and special meetings of SI and Intergroup Board meetings, shall be responsible for establishing the agenda for all SI meetings, may cast the deciding vote to make or break a tie, may participate in a ballot vote, may attend all standing committee meetings, and shall ensure that the general account of the Intergroup be audited annually. 

Vice-Chair: Shall serve as Acting Chair in the absence of the Chair; shall preside at any Intergroup meetings in the absence of the Chair. 

Secretary: Shall see that minutes are kept of all Intergroup and Board meetings and that a copy of the Intergroup minutes is provided to each IR. Secretary shall maintain a file of all minutes of past meetings. 

Treasurer: Shall maintain a checking and savings account, if necessary, for dispersal of Intergroup funds. Shall submit financial reports each month at the Intergroup meetings. Shall be cosignatory with one other board member on financial accounts as approved by the Board. 

The Intergroup Board shall conduct business in the case of an emergency and/or between meetings via electronic communications or meetings. 

Section 7 - Vacancies and Resignations 

If a member of the Intergroup Board fails to attend three consecutive meetings without prior notice, his/her office may be declared vacant by a majority of those members present and voting. Any board member may resign at any time for any reason by giving written notice. 

Any board member may be removed from office for due cause by a majority vote of the IRs at an emergency meeting announced for that purpose. Removal is based on return to compulsive food behavior and/or unworthy conduct. 

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Section 8 - Filling of Vacancies 

Vacancies shall be filled by a majority vote at that meeting in which the vacancy occurred, or at the next meeting or at a special meeting of the Intergroup. Such persons chosen to fill said vacancies shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. 

A person chosen to fill any vacancy on the Board shall meet the qualifications as defined in Article IV, Section 3, and be aware of all responsibilities of that position as described and defined in Article IV. 

ARTICLE V - MEETINGS 

Section 1- Regular Meetings 

The Intergroup shall meet once per month at a time and place (including virtually) designated by a majority of the voting members (second Monday of the month except July and August). If the regular meeting night is canceled due to severe weather or other adversity, it will be up to the Board to designate a virtual meeting, another night or full cancellation. 

Section 2 - Annual Meeting 

An annual meeting shall be held in the month of October for the election of officers. Section 3 - Additional/Emergency Meetings 

A meeting may be called at any time by a majority vote of the Intergroup Board, or by petition of one third of Intergroup members, by giving notice as prescribed in Article V, Section 4. 

Section 4 - Method of Notification 

Notification of all meetings shall consist of notices prepared by the Intergroup Secretary and distributed to each group secretary and/or IR at least one week prior to the date of the meeting. Placing an announcement on the website and at the prior Intergroup meeting is considered additional notification. 

Section 5 Quorum 

The quorum for voting purposes shall be, at a minimum, at least two Board members and at least two voting members present at any meeting of this Intergroup shall constitute a quorum for all proceedings of the Intergroup. 

Section 6 - Meeting Procedure 

It is suggested that every meeting begin and end with the Serenity Prayer. In addition, OA's Twelve Steps, OA's Twelve Traditions, and the Concept of Service for the corresponding month are read at every meeting. 

ARTICLE VI – COMMITTEES 

Section 1 - Standing Committees 

The following committees may be established as required to carry out the purposes of Intergroup in the most effective manner. Standing committees may include but not be limited to: 

Newsletter (New Light) 

Public Information / Professional Outreach 

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Other committees deemed necessary to carry on Intergroup work. 

Section 2 - Additional Committees 

The Board shall designate such additional committees as are deemed necessary for the welfare and operation of the Intergroup. 

Section 3- Committee Appointments 

The chair shall appoint a committee chair from those IRs present who meet IR qualifications. A Board member or any OA member present meeting IR qualifications may be appointed to chair a standing or other committee with approval of the majority of the members present and voting. 

Section 4 - Committee Procedures 

Each standing or additional committee shall be responsible for calling and holding meetings, and establishing its procedures, subject to the approval of the Intergroup Board and the guidelines of the Twelve Traditions of OA. 

Section 5 Committee Responsibility 

Any committee decision and/or vote which establishes or changes a policy, sets a procedural plan for a special event, or expends funds in excess of the approved budget, shall require approval by the Intergroup prior to implementation. Each standing committee chair shall submit a written report to the Intergroup at each monthly meeting and at the end of any specific event coordinated by that committee. If any monies are expended from an approved budget, a detailed and itemized report shall be included with the committee report. 

Section 6 - Ex-Officio Members: 

Past committee chairs may serve in an ex-officio capacity in their respective committees. The Intergroup chair is an ex-officio member of all committees. 

Section 7 - Vacancies 

Should a vacancy, resignation, or removal of a committee chair occur, all pertinent information shall be turned over to the Intergroup chair. The chair shall then appoint a new committee chair to serve the remainder of the term. 

Section 8 - Removal of Committee Chair 

A Committee Chair may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Intergroup Board. Removal is based on return to compulsive food behavior and/or unworthy conduct. 

ARTICLE VII - SOURCE OF FUNDS 

Section 1 - Source of Funds 

Voluntary contributions of the member groups shall be the primary source of funds. 

A secondary source of income may be such occasional projects or activities as may be authorized by Sl according to Tradition Six. SI may accept donations from OA members, conforming to the general practice of OA. 

The maximum allowable annual donation to SI by OA members is limited to $7,500. The acceptance of bequests or donations from any outside source is prohibited. 

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The maximum allowable bequest to SI by OA members is limited to $100,000. 

SI shall not accept the responsibility for, trusteeship over, or enter into the distribution or allocation of funds set up outside of Overeaters Anonymous. 

Section 2 - Prudent Reserve 

There shall be no accumulation of funds beyond current necessities, with retention of only a prudent reserve for contingencies. Funds in excess shall be donated to Region 6 and the World Service Office annually as budgeted and directed by SI. 

ARTICLE VIII – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY 

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern Sl in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws, the Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B or any special rules of order SI may adopt. 

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS TO THESE BYLAWS 

These bylaws, with the exception of Article II, Sections 2, 3, and 4, may be amended at any time by a majority vote of the IRs and board members present at any regular or additional emergency meeting of SI, provided a copy of the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing and received by each group affiliated with SI at least one month prior to the meeting in which action is to be taken on the amendment. Amendments to the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA may only be made as per OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article XII, Section 1. 

ARTICLE X-MAJOR POLICY MATTERS 

Matters that affect SI and/or groups within its service area shall be referred to the board of SI. Matters that relate to Overeaters Anonymous as a whole, which affect Subpart A of the Bylaws of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. shall be referred to the Board of Trustees. Matters that affect Subpart B of the Bylaws of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc., or which relate to the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts shall be referred to the World Service Business Conference. 

ARTICLE XI – DISSOLUTION 

Section 1- Deregistration 

In order to deregister, an intergroup must submit a written request to the World Service Office, region chair and trustee liaison. 

Section 2 - Disbursement of Remaining Funds 

Upon the dissolution of this association, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the association, the remaining assets shall be distributed according to Tradition Six, which guides us to disperse the funds only to other OA service bodies. Such distribution shall be made to the World Service Office of Overeaters Anonymous, Region 6 and/or registered OA service body. If no registered OA service body exists to which the assets can be transferred, distribution shall be made to a non-profit fund, association, foundation or corporation, which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, education, religious and/or scientific purposes and which complies with applicable laws. For example, such organizations or entities within the USA must comply with Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In accordance with Overeaters Anonymous Traditions, such non-profit fund, association, foundation, or corporation should be either the OA World Service Office or another OA service body. 

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