Congressional Debate allows us to debate current issues that are reflective of a variety of domestic and international political issues.
This event is unique because it’s the students who get to decide what they’ll debate. In the “real” Congress, bills are typically very long and complex. The legislation used in Congressional Debate may be no more than one page long. Each part of a piece of legislation has a specific purpose and formatting.
Inspiration for legislation comes from a desire to solve current problems facing our country and should have a national focus. Since debate is, by definition, controversial, we need to make sure that we're drafting legislation that can be debated. For example, few (hopefully no) people would argue against a bill to support impoverished children. Perhaps not everyone would agree on the best ways to support children in poverty, but likely everyone would agree with the moral necessity.
Legislation debated in Congressional rounds can be written in the form of a bill, a resolution, or a constitutional amendment.