NJSDL January Online Speech Festival

2026 — Online / NSDA Campus, NJ/US

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Congressional Debate (MS)

Event Description:

Students can submit legislation for consideration to gyablon@hudsoncharter.orgby Friday, January 9th.

Legislation can be on any topic, but topics related to the tournament theme of Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be given greater consideration.

Legislation packet will be posted on Wednesday, January 14th.

Congressional Debate is like a simulation of the real United States legislature. A group of 10-25 students, called a Chamber, will compete in a legislative session. A series of bills and resolutions will be provided to schools in advance. Students will give speeches both advocating for and encouraging the defeat of a measure in front of them. Following each speech, competitors will be able to pose questions of the speaker. Once debate is exhausted on a particular item, the chamber will vote either to pass or fail the legislation, and debate moves on to the next item.

Legislation comes in two types — a bill and a resolution. A bill is a plan of action, detailing how a particular policy proposal will be implemented. A resolution, meanwhile, is a statement expressing the opinion of the chamber.

Typically, one session of Congress lasts about 2-3 hours. During that time, students typically give speeches 3 minutes in length. The first two speeches on a piece of legislation are known as the first advocacy, or first pro, and the first rejection, or first con. These speeches are followed by 2 minutes of cross examination. After the first pro and con speech are established, each additional speaker is subject to one minute of cross examination by the chamber.

3 judges, including the Parliamentarian, will be assigned to the chamber, and student results will be based on an average of the three scores. In the event of a tie, the Parliamentarian's score will serve as the tiebreaker.