--- title: HR 1481. Cedartown High School Debate Team; winning the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1481 cite_as: HR 1481, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1481 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1481.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1481/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73671 date: 2026-02-25 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1480.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1482.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1481.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1481 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-25 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Trey Kelley - Tyler Smith - Matthew Gambill - Yasmin Neal text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1481/2025 upstream_id: 2124818 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Cedartown High School - debate team - Polk County schools - student achievement - House resolution --- # HR 1481. Cedartown High School Debate Team; winning the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition; commend ## Text House Resolution 1481 By: Representatives Kelley of the 16th, Smith of the 18th, Gambill of the 15th, and Neal of the 79th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Cedartown High School Debate Team for winning the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Georgia House of Representatives is proud to recognize exceptional students whose academic achievement, leadership, and dedication bring honor to their schools, communities, and the State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, Cedartown High School, located in Polk County within House District 16, has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to academic excellence and student leadership; and WHEREAS, the Cedartown High School Debate Team represented the United States of America in the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition held in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, from February 6 through February 8, 2026; and WHEREAS, the competition included ten distinguished teams representing six countries: Japan, Hungary, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States; and WHEREAS, competing against elite international teams, Armando Penaloza, Anna Vainrib, and Ande Kate Roper demonstrated exceptional research, analytical reasoning, persuasive advocacy, and teamwork; and WHEREAS, the Cedartown High School Debate Team achieved a perfect record of six wins and zero losses, advancing undefeated through all rounds of competition; and WHEREAS, on February 8, 2026, the team prevailed in the championship finals against Hungary to earn First Place Overall, bringing international distinction and honor to Cedartown High School, the Polk School District, Polk County, House District 16, and the entire State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, this historic accomplishment reflects not only individual excellence but also the strength of public education and community support within Polk County; and WHEREAS, this remarkable achievement was guided by the dedicated mentorship and leadership of Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, advisor and coach, whose commitment to academic excellence and student development was instrumental in securing this world championship; and WHEREAS, the encouragement, sacrifice, and unwavering support of the families of these students played a vital role in this achievement and deserve recognition and gratitude from this body. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend and congratulate the Cedartown High School Debate Team—Armando Penaloza, Anna Vainrib, and Ande Kate Roper—and their advisor, Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, upon winning First Place Overall at the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body extend their gratitude to the families of these students in honor of their steadfast support, encouragement, and commitment to excellence, all of which contributed to this distinguished accomplishment. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to Cedartown High School, the Polk School District, the members of the team, their coach, and their families. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution commends the Cedartown High School Debate Team for winning first place overall at the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition in Japan. ### Plain-language summary This is a commendation resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a change to state law. It honors the Cedartown High School Debate Team, made up of students Armando Penaloza, Anna Vainrib, and Ande Kate Roper, for winning the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition held in Kumagaya City, Japan, from February 6 through February 8, 2026. The team went undefeated with six wins and zero losses, beating Hungary in the championship finals for first place overall against ten teams from six countries. The resolution also thanks the team's advisor, Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, and the students' families for their support. It directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to Cedartown High School, the Polk School District, the team, their coach, and their families. ### What it does - Formally commends and congratulates the Cedartown High School Debate Team for winning the 2026 Parliamentary Debate World Competition. - Recognizes team members Armando Penaloza, Anna Vainrib, and Ande Kate Roper and their advisor Mrs. Jennifer Cupp by name. - Extends the House's gratitude to the families of the team members for their support. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the school, school district, team, coach, and families. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Cedartown High School, the Polk School District, three student debate team members, their coach Mrs. Jennifer Cupp, and their families. It also involves the Clerk of the House, who must prepare and distribute copies of the resolution. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect and changes no Georgia law. Its significance is symbolic: it gives official state recognition to a Polk County school's students and coach for an international academic achievement, which the school and community can point to publicly. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe the competition, held in Kumagaya City, Japan, from February 6-8, 2026, with ten teams from six countries. - The team finished with a perfect six wins, zero losses record and beat Hungary in the finals for first place overall. - The resolving clauses commend the three named students and their advisor and thank their families. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies to the school, school district, team, coach, and families. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-25) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-02-25) - Sponsors: Trey Kelley, Tyler Smith, Matthew Gambill, Yasmin Neal - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73671 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1481.md?full=1