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Resolutions
Another popular type of legislation in Congressional Debate is a resolution. A resolution is a position statement on issues that Congress does not have jurisdiction over (such as a foreign issue), a recommendation to another party (such as the President, Supreme Court, or the United Nations), or further action (such as amending the Constitution).
Essentially, resolutions express the opinion of the Congress, but they don't have the power of law. As such, they do not need to be within the designated powers of Congress.
Sample Resolution Titles:
A Resolution Condemning North Korea
A Resolution Supporting the Ukrainian People
A Resolution Condemning Israel's Use of Force in the Gaza Strip
Resolution Format:
Generally, there are four parts to a resolution—the first three begin with the word Whereas.
After the first Whereas, the current problem is stated in a brief statement.
After the second Whereas, the resolution’s author describes the scope of the problem.
After the third Whereas, the author explains the impact and harms allowed by the current problem.
The fourth section begins with Resolved—this is the author’s recommendation for addressing the problem.
In contrast to a bill, a resolution lacks the force of law, and never establishes enforcement.
An amendment to the Constitution is formatted very similarly to a resolution except—as one may expect—when an amendment is passed, it does have the weight of the law behind it.
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