2026 Hudson Arts Science Charter Middle School Tournament

2026 — Kearny, NJ/US

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Congressional Debate

Event Description:

Legislation packet will be posted on Friday, January 23rd.

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.