interesting changes to NFL Student Congress

Got these via email from our NFL district chair. Changes in bold; comments normal typeface. (I noted a few changes before; these are all new to me.)

Scoring changes:
A) Eight (8) points per speech not Six (6)
B) Forty (40) points per day not twenty-four (24) can be awarded
C) Presiding Officer can receive eight (8) points per hour up to 40 for the day

I wonder how this will square with recordkeeping. Sorry, former Reps and Senators. Point inflation means asterisks all around.

No more than 30 students in a chamber.

Hasn't been a problem in our region, generally.

No changes in location of a student from the registration are allowed. Alternates may replace someone in a chamber, but students CANNOT move from one chamber to another.

Good. I can't stand it when competitors try to angle their way into the "easy" house.

Standard Speech – 3 minutes with a 1 minute CX period

I didn't emphasize this last time: now there's a mandatory questioning period after every speech. I don't know what to say, other than, "Crap." I hate question time.

Authorship speeches can ONLY be given on legislation from that school submitting. If no one from the school is in the chamber, no authorship speech can be given.

Huzzah!

Nomination for finalists:
A) The maximum number to be nominated is seven (7).
B) Judges' nomination will be used. If the nominees number fewer than seven, the top scoring individuals may be added to make seven.

Why "may?" Who decides? The tournament director? The parliamentarian?

Voting can be by preferential ranking with the parliamentarian having a tie breaking vote.

Hopefully this speeds up the laborious voting process, which used to work by elimination in round after round after round.