Public Forum (PF) is a team debate format where two teams of two argue one side of a resolution about a current issue. It was designed to be easy for an ordinary citizen to follow, so it rewards clear explanation and solid evidence over speed and jargon. In the US, the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) sets a new PF resolution every month or two.
This list has 50 resolutions in five themes, written in Public Forum style. Resolutions marked with an NSDA month and year are real past or current NSDA Public Forum topics; the rest are practice resolutions. Pick one, flip a coin for sides and run a full round, or use them for quick crossfire and rebuttal drills.
Jump to: Economy and work · Technology and media · Government, rights and justice · Environment, energy and health · World affairs
Economy and work (10)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should ban corporate acquisition of single-family residences. (NSDA, March 2026)
- Resolved: The Federal Trade Commission should establish a federal regulatory framework for sports betting. (NSDA, February 2026)
- Resolved: In the United States, collegiate student-athletes should be classified as employees of their educational institution. (NSDA, March 2024)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should forgive all federal student loan debt. (NSDA, November-December 2023)
- Resolved: In the United States, right-to-work laws do more harm than good. (NSDA, February 2023)
- Resolved: The United States should replace means-tested welfare programs with a universal basic income. (NSDA, February 2020)
- Resolved: The United States should abolish the capital gains tax. (NSDA, February 2018)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should classify gig workers as employees.
- Resolved: On balance, the benefits of a four-day workweek outweigh the harms.
- Resolved: The United States federal government should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Technology and media (10)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should enact a moratorium on hyperscale data center construction. (NSDA, September-October 2026)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should require technology companies to provide lawful access to encrypted communications. (NSDA, November-December 2025)
- Resolved: In the United States, the benefits of the use of generative artificial intelligence in education outweigh the harms. (NSDA, March 2025)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. (NSDA, January 2024)
- Resolved: The United States Federal Government should ban the collection of personal data through biometric recognition technology. (NSDA, April 2023)
- Resolved: The benefits of the United States federal government's use of offensive cyber operations outweigh the harms. (NSDA, November-December 2019)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should ban social media accounts for users under the age of 16.
- Resolved: On balance, the benefits of self-driving cars outweigh the harms.
- Resolved: The United States federal government should require a license to develop advanced artificial intelligence models.
- Resolved: United States public high schools should ban student cell phone use during the school day.
Government, rights and justice (10)
- Resolved: The United States should eliminate the President's authority to deploy military forces abroad without Congressional approval. (NSDA, April 2026)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should legalize all illicit drugs. (NSDA, January 2022)
- Resolved: The National Security Agency should end its surveillance of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. (NSDA, January 2021)
- Resolved: The United States should require universal background checks for all gun sales and transfers of ownership. (NSDA, November 2017)
- Resolved: The United States ought to replace the Electoral College with a direct national popular vote. (NSDA, April 2017)
- Resolved: The United States should adopt ranked-choice voting for its federal elections.
- Resolved: In the United States, voting should be compulsory in federal elections.
- Resolved: The United States should establish term limits for Supreme Court justices.
- Resolved: The United States federal government should abolish the death penalty.
- Resolved: On balance, the benefits of lowering the voting age to 16 in the United States outweigh the harms.
Environment, energy and health (10)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its investment in domestic nuclear energy. (NSDA, April 2025)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should ban single-use plastics. (NSDA, February 2024)
- Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase its investment in high-speed rail. (NSDA, September-October 2022)
- Resolved: In the United States, the benefits of increasing organic agriculture outweigh the harms. (NSDA, March 2022)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should impose price controls on the pharmaceutical industry. (NSDA, November-December 2018)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should adopt a carbon tax. (NSDA, February 2016)
- Resolved: On balance, the benefits of genetically modified foods outweigh the harms. (NSDA, November 2014)
- Resolved: The United States federal government should ban new oil and gas leases on federal lands.
- Resolved: The United States federal government should establish a single-payer health care system.
- Resolved: On balance, the benefits of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages outweigh the harms.
World affairs (10)
- Resolved: European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. (NSDA, November-December 2026)
- Resolved: The United Kingdom should rejoin the European Union. (NSDA, September-October 2025)
- Resolved: The United States should accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. (NSDA, February 2025)
- Resolved: The African Union should grant diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state. (NSDA, January 2025)
- Resolved: The United Nations should abolish permanent membership on its Security Council. (NSDA, April 2024)
- Resolved: The benefits of the International Monetary Fund outweigh the harms. (NSDA, April 2021)
- Resolved: The United States should adopt a declaratory nuclear policy of no first use. (NSDA, November-December 2020)
- Resolved: The European Union should join the Belt and Road Initiative. (NSDA, September-October 2019)
- Resolved: The benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area outweigh the harms.
- Resolved: The United States should substantially increase its foreign aid to sub-Saharan Africa.
How to use these topics in class
- Prepare both sides. A coin flip before the round decides sides and speaking order, so you won't know which side you're on until the round starts. Write a Pro case and a Con case for every resolution. Use the Team Generator to pair up partners for practice.
- Practice the real speech times. An NSDA round runs: constructives 4 minutes each, crossfire 3 minutes, rebuttals 4 minutes each, crossfire 3 minutes, summaries 3 minutes each, grand crossfire 3 minutes and final focus speeches 2 minutes each. Each team also gets 3 minutes of prep time. Run every practice round on the debate timer.
- Drill crossfire. In crossfire, the two speakers who just spoke ask and answer questions, and the speaker who went first asks the first question. In grand crossfire all four debaters take part. Practice short, pointed questions and answers of a sentence or two, and don't let one question eat the whole period.
- Write for a lay judge. PF is designed so an ordinary citizen can follow it, and your judge may not be a debate expert. Explain each argument in plain words, tell the judge why it matters, and carry your two or three strongest points from summary into final focus.
- Learn the format and the current topics. New to PF? Read the Public Forum format guide. For the topics NSDA tournaments are debating now, start with the Public Forum topic brief.
Questions teachers ask
How are NSDA Public Forum resolutions chosen?
An NSDA wording committee of coaches and alumni reviews topic ideas from students and coaches and drafts potential resolutions. Two choices are announced for each topic period, and one chapter advisor per school plus member students vote for the one they prefer.
How often does the Public Forum topic change?
NSDA sets PF topics for September-October, November-December, January, February, March, April and the National Tournament. So the topic lasts two months in the fall and changes every month from January. Tournaments can pick a different topic depending on their dates, so always check the tournament invitation.
Where can I find the current Public Forum topic?
The NSDA posts current and past topics on its website (speechanddebate.org/topics). You can also see this month's NSDA topics on Debatery.
How is Public Forum different from Lincoln-Douglas?
Public Forum is two against two, and its resolutions are usually about current policy and world events. Lincoln-Douglas is one-on-one and puts more weight on values, ethics and philosophy. NSDA Lincoln-Douglas topics change every two months. See the Lincoln-Douglas format guide.
Can I use past NSDA topics for practice?
Yes. Past topics are great for practice because many have years of published evidence and debate on both sides. Just update your evidence, since facts and events may have changed since the topic was used.
Missing a topic? Request a guide and vote for the ones you want next.