- Houston Independent School District
- HISD Debate
- High School Topics
Congressional Debate
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We are following (with some minor adjustments) the TFA Region 4 Congress Scaffold for the fall 2024 semester. The docket items for each tournament are listed below, all docket items are chosen from the TFA Congressional docket. We will announce the spring docket selections once the TFA Spring docket is publishedClick Here for the TFA Spring 2025 Docket.
September Docket ItemsMorning: 16-20Afternoon: 21-25October Docket ItemsMorning: 1-5Afternoon: 6-10November Docket ItemsMorning: 11-15Afternoon: 26-30January Docket ItemsMorning: 6-10Afternoon: 11-15February Docket ItemsMorning: 1-5Afternoon: 16-20The legislation order will be set at the start of the session. Please come prepared to debate both sides on the items that are of particular interest to you; all representatives should be prepared to speak about any item set forth in the docket, even if they have not researched those items extensively. There are no guarantees that all items will be covered in session, so debaters may need to improvise a speech in order to be scored in the chamber.CLICK HERE for other congressional debate resourcesClick here for the congressional debate guide
Lincoln Douglas Debate
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Spring 2025 Topic
Resolved: Standardized testing is detrimental to equity in K-12 education.
Policy Debate
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2024-2025 TopicResolved: The United States Federal Govermnent should significantly strengthen is protection of domestic intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks.
Public Forum Debate
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February Topic
Resolved: The United States should accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
World Schools Debate
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We are announcing all prepared motions for the season in advance. This list is subject to change, so please double check this page before each tournament to ensure you are preparing the correct topic.
September Prepared MotionRounds 2+3 will use the following motion:This House regrets the dominance of the two-party system in American PoliticsNo printed materials are allowed in the round except one dictionary and almanac or encyclopedia per team.Rounds 1+4 will use impromptu motions announced one hour prior.October Prepared MotionRounds 2+3 will use the following motion:This House would nationalize energy companies.No printed materials are allowed in the round except one dictionary and almanac or encyclopedia per team.A free brief on the topic is accessible here.Rounds 1+4 will use impromptu motions announced one hour prior.November Prepared MotionRounds 2+3 will use the following motion:This House prefers conditional foreign aid to unconditional aid.No printed materials are allowed in the round except one dictionary and almanac or encyclopedia per team.Rounds 1+4 will use impromptu motions announced one hour prior.January Prepared MotionRounds 2+3 will use the following motion:This House supports the Home Guarantee Movement.Info slide: A federal Homes Guarantee means that every household in the United States - whether they rent or own - has a dignified and affordable home.No printed materials are allowed in the round except one dictionary and almanac or encyclopedia per team.Rounds 1+4 will use impromptu motions announced one hour prior.February Prepared MotionRounds 2+3 will use the following motion:This House believes that state capitalism is a more effective economic model than liberal capitalism for promoting long-term national development and economic stability.
No printed materials are allowed in the round except one dictionary and almanac or encyclopedia per team.Rounds 1+4 will use impromptu motions announced one hour prior.