Speech and Debate Education Day

2025-2026 Bill 5294: Speech and Debate Education Day - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5294
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. G.M. Smith, Weeks, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J.E. Johnson, J.L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, M.M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Stavrinakis, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow
Document Path: LC-0461DG-GM26.docx
Introduced in the House on March 3, 2026
Adopted by the House on March 3, 2026
Summary: Speech and Debate Education Day
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

3/3/2026

House

Introduced and adopted (
House Journal-page 5
)

View the latest
legislative information
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VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
03/03/2026

A
house
RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND
HONOR THE SUMTER HIGH SCHOOL SPEECH AND DEBATE ASSOCIATION CHAPTER FOR ITS
VISION AND SUCCESS AND TO DECLARE FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2026, AS "SPEECH AND DEBATE
EDUCATION DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

W
hereas, National
Speech and Debate Education Day, observed on the first Friday in March,
recognizes the vital role scholastic speech and debate programs play in shaping
students' critical thinking, research, writing, public speaking, and civic
engagement skills; and

W
hereas, recognition of
these skills carries special significance in South Carolina, where Sumter High
School has reestablished a speech and debate program for the first time in more
than two decades and now serves as the only active National Speech and Debate
Association chapter across the Midlands, Pee Dee, and Lowcountry regions; and

W
hereas, Sumter High
School's program began after two students expressed a desire to compete despite
limited initial resources. A Pay It Forward Grant provided the foundation for
official membership and competition; and

W
hereas, following
early tournament success, the Sumter High team worked collaboratively with
school leadership and community partners to address the logistical demands of
travel and competition through fundraisers, civic sponsorships, and service
initiatives, including a community blood drive benefiting local hospitals; and

W
hereas, in its
inaugural season, more than forty students joined the team, multiple
tournaments were attended, and students earned numerous top placements across
several events; and

W
hereas, despite its geographic
distance from other active programs, Sumter High successfully hosted its first
virtual tournament, welcoming sixteen schools with more than one hundred
seventy entries and marking a significant milestone in the program's growth and
regional impact; and

W
hereas, the South
Carolina House of Representatives salutes the students and faculty members of
the Sumter High School chapter of the National Speech and Debate Association
and encourage citizens across the State to value this vital aspect of education
for our youth. Now, therefore,

B
e it resolved by the
House of Representatives
:

T
hat the members of the
South Carolina
House of Representatives
,
by this resolution, recognize and honor the Sumter High School Speech and
Debate Association chapter for its vision and success and declare Friday, March
6, 2026, as "Speech and Debate Education Day" in South Carolina.

B
e it further resolved
that a copy of this resolution be presented to Sumter High School chapter of
the National Speech and Debate Association.

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This web page was last updated on March 3, 2026 at 1:04 PM