Chesterton High School Debate Tournament

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Congressional Debate Legislati

From the ISSDA Nov-Dec docket (www.ihsfa.org)

Morning session - 1.  A Bill to End Disenfranchisement of Ex-Felons. 2.  A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Abolish the Presidential Pardon 3.  A Bill to Ban Trading of Stocks by Members of Congress.  Afternoon Session 1.  Scramble.  2.  A Bill to End Usury in Postsecondary Study Loans.

Scramble Round explanation:  This is an impromptu styled Congress Round.  Students will be chambered and then presented with a scenario of our own creation.  Students will be allowed to utilize the internet during the impromptu period (this will last between 30 mins to an hour depending upon how well the tournament is running). 

Thoughts on Precedence/Recency:  We will group the first three bills together in the morning so that students can work with Precedence/Recency.  It will only reset after the third bill is finished.  Each session will be given a chunk of time - how long is spent on each piece of legislation and the order in which they are debated for the morning session.   Precedence/Recency will be used in the afternoon session, but the order of the legislation is locked - Scramble round and then Usury in postsecondary study loanss

Direct Quetioning: We will be utilizing direct questioning for this tournament.  Here are the guidelines from the NSDA

Direct Questioning Guidelines

The same speaking and questioning times used in earlier rounds are in place for designated semifinal and final rounds, except that all periods are broken into 30-second segments, with one questioner per segment, who may ask multiple questions of the speaker.

Additionally: " The PO must keep separate questioning recedence/recency (to ensure equal opportunity for legislators to ask questions), and should promptly adjudicate the end of each 30-second period. "

If a questioner does not use her/his full 30 seconds, the presiding officer has the discretion to call on another speaker, or absorb the time. " No suspensions of the rules to extend questioning are permitted.

" Questioners may not prefer questions with information external to the speaker’s remarks. "

Questioners may interrupt a speaker during his/her response, but the manner in which they do so is subject to critique by judges—remember, this is Congress—there is a standard of decorum and courtesy that members should be held to!

Questioners should strive to expose flaws in the speaker’s arguments by asking a series of questions about the speaker’s remarks. These questions should subject the speaker’s arguments to intensive and focused scrutiny. There should be no “softball questions.”

The segment is for asking questions; not for making new arguments or rehash old arguments. Questions and answers should be concise and to the point. To that end, questioners may politely interrupt speakers during their responses when, for instance, they ramble or do not directly answer the question.