Two New Laws: Religious Freedom Commission and ALS Research

Published November 7, 2026.

Public Law 119-137: religious freedom commission

Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey sponsored H.R. 1744, with 11 cosponsors. It reauthorizes the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom through 2028. Before this law, the commission’s authorization ran through December 11, 2026.

The commission is an independent federal body. It monitors religious freedom conditions abroad, reviews U.S. policy and makes recommendations.

Public Law 119-138: ALS research programs

Mike Quigley of Illinois sponsored H.R. 8205, with 103 cosponsors. It amends the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act, Public Law 117-79, and extends its authorization from 2026 to 2031.

The law also makes these changes:

• Grant renewals: when reviewing a renewal for an investigational drug, the Secretary must request and assess enrollment, safety and any available efficacy data from the manufacturer or sponsor.
• Safety reports: an entity seeking a grant must agree to promptly report new, serious and unexpected safety information from the phase 3 trial to the institution that makes the grant.
• FDA action plan: within 18 months, the Food and Drug Administration must publish a five-year plan for rare neurodegenerative diseases. A report on the actions taken is due within five years.

How each bill passed

Voice votes and unanimous consent do not record how each member voted. For these two laws, the public record shows who sponsored and cosponsored each bill, but not an individual vote from each member.