The WDCA Executive Committee has announced the novice limited topics.

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase social services for persons living in poverty in the United States by:

1. increasing antipoverty block grants to state and local governments.
2. increasing early childhood education and/or child care assistance through Head Start.
3. providing individuals with access to Medicaid regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.

According to the unofficial notes from the Spring Meeting, the Novice Evidence Packet has officially moved from test pilot into an official rule. The new rule states:

Until a date determined by the Executive Committee, arguments in the novice division are restricted to those contained in the official novice evidence packet. Following that date, packet restrictions are removed but affirmatives remain limited to the plan texts specified in the novice evidence packet. In the event that an argument is presented from outside the novice evidence packet, the judge should not consider that argument in their decision regardless of whether the issue is raised in the debate. If the affirmative team presents a plan that is not found in the novice evidence packet, they should receive a loss. Tournament directors should enforce these novice evidence packet restrictions.

The no counterplan, no kritik rule for novice is still in effect for Novice debates. Outside/additional research can be used instead of the cards in the evidence packet but only if they make the same argument as cards in the packet. For example, a Novice debater can update uniqueness on the Disadvantage but if there is no impact turn to the disadvantage in the packet a Novice debater couldn’t use one in a Novice round.

Download the complete novice packet

Read the original NFHS topic paper.