Legislative Council to Vote on Student Congress in October

By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 1:56 PM

Last fall, Princeton High School hosted Congress competition for the first time at the State Capitol. The school will host another competition this year. Within an hour of opening online registration, more than half of the tournament slots were filled.

Photo by Photos courtesy of Jimmy Smith, Princeton High School

At its June meeting, the Academic Committee of the UIL Legislative Council gave an affirmative nod to Congress as a new pilot contest for the League. The full Council will give final review to the preliminary action in October.

Congress is a mock legislative assembly competition where students draft bills (proposed laws) and resolutions (position statements) that the assembly debates and votes upon to pass into law. It is an individual contest in a large group setting, modeling the legislative process of democracy, specifically the United States Congress.

Previously introduced to the Council seven years ago, the popularity of the competition has grown throughout the nation. Now a major event of the National Forensic League and the National Catholic Forensic League, mock legislatures are sponsored by many civic organizations, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, the American Legion through Boys’ and Girls’ State and Nation, Junior Statesmen of America, Youth-in-Government sponsored by the YMCA and Model United Nations. Students attending the Elite 100 Leadership Conference during the League’s Centennial celebration year and the Interscholastic League Advisory Council advocated for its addition.

Within this competition, contestants draft legislation submitted to the tournament, and research the docket of bills and resolutions prior to the contest to prepare their speeches. At the tournament, students caucus in committees to set an agenda of what legislation to discuss in the full assembly. Then they debate the merits and disadvantages of each and vote to pass or defeat the measures they have examined.

This contest provides real-life exposure to politics, political science, persuasion, public speaking and assemblies. Contestants must be knowledgeable concerning newsworthy issues and the current laws of our nation.

I believe this event increases citizenship and is one that can develop a respect for public service, cultivating a desire to contribute to society, building leaders for the future.

Replicating the workings of an official legislature, competitive Congress is composed of both a House chamber and a Senate chamber, if entries warrant. If not, all representatives form a single chamber. Each Congress session is approximately three hours and a student Presiding Officer elected by the delegates runs it. The Presiding Officer recognizes speakers, gives time signals, conducts votes and keeps order. Other congress officials include a parliamentarian to make final decisions on matters of parliamentary procedure, and scorers to award points.

Parliamentary procedure forms structure for the discourse, and students extemporaneously respond to others’ arguments over the course of a session. Contestants are evaluated for their research and analysis of issues, argumentation, skill in asking and answering questions, use of parliamentary procedure and clarity and fluency of speaking.

I am pleased the Council recognizes the tremendous educational benefits that can be gleaned from this contest and have demonstrated leadership in taking the initial step to provide this exciting opportunity for students. It has the potential to develop different skills than our other contests and draw a more diverse population into the UIL competitive arena from multi-disciplines including government, agriculture, speech, debate.

A thorough knowledge of parliamentary procedure is at the heart of the contest. Critical listening and note-taking skills are essential. Problem solving in creating effective laws to address issues and writing skills in developing real-world compelling arguments promote success. The art of negotiation and mediation must be demonstrated within caucuses.

This contest adds the element of interpersonal communication as students seek to get their legislation passed successfully. The result is an increase of civility in discourse and proper decorum during formal discussion, elements often lacking in our current U.S. Congress.

If approved by the Council and the Commissioner of Education, the League will provide additional information about implementation of the pilot contest.

For additional overview information on Congress as a student competition, many online resources are available including the following links: http://www.ncfl.org/student-congress,
http://www.congressionaldebate.org/tutorials/congress-guide