Congress Info

Congressional Debate Legislation Submission

All schools competing in Congressional Debate or Presiding Officer at the CHSSA State Tournament are required to submit one piece of legislation per team for consideration in the State Tournament docket.

Please submit your legislation using the 2026 CHSSA Congress Legislation Submission Form no later than: Friday, March 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM

Submission Requirements

Your legislation must:

• Use one of the official CHSSA templates

• Align with the State Congress Topic Areas assigned to your league

• Be uploaded as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx)

• Be submitted through the Google Form by the deadline

Submit legislation here:
https://forms.gle/qDMpbye5Ts41iBwE7

What Happens Next

After the submission deadline:

• The Congress Committee will compile all submitted legislation into a packet and send it to coaches with Congress entries on Saturday, March 14.

• Coaches will then rank their preferred pieces of legislation through a Google Form. Voting will take place March 14–16 (closing at 5:00 PM).

• Only the coach of record for each school may submit the vote.

After votes are tallied, the top six pieces of legislation will be selected for the State Tournament docket. The final docket will be posted on Tabroom and shared with coaches on Tuesday, March 17.

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Presiding Officer Training Update

The Congress Committee has been working to ensure that all Presiding Officer competitors arrive at State fully prepared to lead their chambers successfully. A well-trained Presiding Officer helps keep the chamber running smoothly and protects the competitive experience for every student in the room.

This year, all Presiding Officer competitors will participate in a short training and rules refresher at the State Tournament. At the end of the session, students will complete a brief quiz covering key Congressional Debate procedures.

If a student misses any questions, we will simply take a few additional minutes to review the rules with them so they feel confident before entering their first round.

This training will take place immediately after the mandatory Congress meeting for all Congressional Debate and Presiding Officer competitors: Saturday, April 18 — 8:00 AM

Additional details will be shared as we get closer to the tournament, but please make sure Congress coaches plan travel schedules accordingly so students can attend.