Stanford Invitational Speech & Debate Tournament
Middle School Congress
If you are interested in entering MS students in student congress, please be sure to put (MS) in parenthesis after their name so we can readily identify the MS students.
Student Congress operates as a mock congressional session, with students debating bills which are announced in advance of the tournament.
ENTRY FEES: $20 per student
HOW IT WORKS:
- There are generally between 12 and 18 students in a room and a student parliamentarian “presides” over the round.
- Students make speeches of 3 minutes in length either in affirmation or negation of the bill or resolution being debated.
- After a student completes their 3 minute speech, the presiding officer calls on other students to ask short (generally 10 seconds or so in length) questions of the speaker who has just spoken, with only one question per each student being called upon.
- The speaker answers those questions very briefly (generally roughly 10 seconds per response). The questioning period goes on for 1 minute with as many students as possible asking questions.
- This process continues back and forth (affirmation speeches, then negation speeches) until the students decide to vote on the bill (or table it for possible later additional discussion). After students have completed debate on one bill or resolution, they proceed onto the next one. Generally about 2 bills are covered per session, and students can give a second speech on a bill or resolution if time allows.
- Additional details about how we specifically run congress at the Stanford Invitational are in the "congress tab" above.
WHAT STUDENTS ARE JUDGED ON: Judges at our tournament are instructed to make their decision based simply upon the 3 minute speeches and cross ex questions, and not on how well students use parliamentary procedure, so if your students come prepared to give 3 minute speeches for and against the topics and to answer questions defending their speech, they are prepared.
TOPICS/BILLS:
The bills listed below are topics for the February, 2012 tournament.
Please note that the 'whereas' clauses are for informational purposes only, and need not in any way be accepted as 'unarguable fact' by the participants:
1. A Resolution to Eliminate Income Taxes for Minors
Whereas, persons in the United Sates under the age of 18 have many restrictions placed on them which interfere with them obtaining well paying jobs, and
Whereas, an ever increasing percentage of persons under the age of 18 are compelled to work in order to support themselves and their families and to save for college, and
Whereas, some minors are paid, “under the table,” or “off the book,” and are not taxed, making it unfair for those still carrying the taxation burden, and
Whereas, persons under the age of 18 are required to pay income and payroll taxes without the right to vote on such taxes or for those individuals who impose such taxes upon them, and
Whereas, one of the founding principles leading to the American Colonists throwing off the mantle of British oppression was, “No taxation without representation,” therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by this student congress here assembled that no worker in the United States should be required to pay income or payroll taxes; federal, state, or local, except for basic sales tax on the purchase of goods, on money earned before reaching 18 years of age.
2. A Resolution to Lift the Cuban Embargo
Whereas, the original need for the Cuban embargo has diminished particularly with Fidel Castro out of power, and
Whereas, the embargo hurts the Cuban citizens rather than the government, and the citizens of the United States as well, and
Whereas, most other nations do not have embargoes on Cuban goods, and
Whereas, opening the trade route to Cuba would benefit American and Cuban businesses alike, and
Whereas, overall, the American economy and Cuban economy would benefit from improved trade relations, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by this student congress here assembled that the United States immediately lift its embargo on Cuban goods and services and re-establish trade relations between the two nations and freely allow tourist travel between the two nations.
3. Improving food aid to assist the poor in having better quality food
Whereas, about 65% of all Americans are overweight, with nearly half of those being obese, and Whereas, the rate of being overweight is 5-10% higher for the poor, and
Whereas, serious health problems, such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gall stones, and premature death result from being overweight or obese, and
Whereas, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) arguably encourages the recipients to buy and consume unhealthy food because packaged food is generally cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables, and
Whereas, fresh fruits and vegetables rather than prepackages foods are highly correlated with better nutritional outcomes, and
BE IT RESOLVED by this student congress here assembled that federal food assistance programs for the poor and financially challenged be reformed to provide more healthy food choices without cuts in the program budgets. Specifically, the Health Incentives Pilot should be expanded to become the Health Incentive Program (HIP). HIP shall offer all SNAP recipients a 30% subsidy on produce, which is credited to the participant’s Electronic Benefit Card (EBT card), for 15 months. Produce, under the HIP, is defined as fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables that do not have any added sugar, salt, fat, or oil. This program expansion shall occur while continuing to study the effectiveness of the pilot program for later reconsideration.
4. A bill banning alchohol advertising on radio and television
BE IT ENACTED by This Student Congress here assembled that:
Section 1. No alcohol advertisements will be allowed on any commercial or non- commercial television and radio stations.
Section 2. Advertisements will be defined as the paid sponsorship slots available during all for profit or non-commercial television and radio-broadcasting time slots.
Section 3. Enforcement will be through the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission.
Section 4. This ban will become effective immediately upon passage of this bill.
Section 5. Any and all existing state or federal laws conflicting with this legislation will be null and void.
5. A law mandating student participation in interscholastic activities
Section 1: All students attending high school will be required to participate in at least one season of interscholastic activity during their high school career.
Section 2: Refusal to participate in at least one season of interscholastic activity during a student's high school career will result in the loss of graduation rights.
Section 3: Coaches and leaders of interscholastic activities will be required to allow all high school participants to travel to and participate in some of the competition without regard to overall competitive ability. Failure to do so will result in punishment equal to violating State and Federal standard educational teaching practices and may result in loss of employment and replacement with staff who will comply.
Section 4: High schools that fail to comply will lose all federal funding for their school.
Section 5. This bill will become law August 1, 2012.
6. A resolution to provide increased vocational training for students
Whereas, the school system encourages all students to achieve the same goals, and,
Whereas, these goals are generally academic in nature, and
Whereas, not all students have the same level of academic ability, and
Whereas, the primary obligation of the school system is to prepare student for Their futures, and
Whereas, students not pursuing careers of academic nature will be better aided By vocational, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Student Congress here assembled that the school System be altered to provide students with the option of pursuing vocational training at an earlier age.
7. A resolution for 4 day school weeks
Whereas, many school districts suffer from budget restrictions, and
Whereas, students are typically overwhelmed with the academics and extracurricular activities necessary for college entrance, and
Whereas, teachers have limited time for individual tutoring or professional development with the current 5 day program, and
Whereas, over many school districts in Louisiana, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and South Dakota have adopted a four-day school week in at least some districts, and
Whereas, districts with four-day school weeks report fewer interruptions during class time, fewer student and teacher absences, and
Whereas, districts with four-day school weeks report increased student morale, behavior and effort, and
Whereas, districts with four-day school weeks report a rise in grade point average and a 50% drop in failing grades, and
Whereas, the four-day school week saves districts money on transportation, heating and substitute teachers, and
Whereas, districts are still able to meet state minimums for academic hours under the four-day school week, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Student Congress here assembled that the Federal Government establish four-day academic weeks for K-12 public schools.
8. A resolution to make essential prescription drugs more affordable
Whereas, prescription drug costs are skyrocketing in the United States, with an estimated increase of 11%-20% per year, and
Whereas, this increasing cost places a huge burden on the elderly and impoverished, and
Whereas, generic brand drugs are markedly cheaper than brand-name counterparts, with an average cost of about $20 per generic prescription versus nearly $100 per name-brand prescription, and
Whereas, current US patent protection for name-brand drugs typically extends for over 11 years, during which no generic brand is allowed to compete, and
Whereas, many patent drugs are dearly needed due to recent events, such as the case with the anthrax drug Cipro, and
Whereas, the government has the authority by law to use patented technology provided that reasonable compensation is given to the patent-holder, and
Whereas, in times or war or crisis, the interests of the society at large must supersede the rights of individual intellectual property, and
Whereas, lesser-developed nations also bear the consequences of high prescription drug prices; Therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED that generic brand dug companies be allowed to directly compete with name-brand counterparts by limiting prescription drug patents to no more than 5 years, excluding the trial phases.