H.R.8205 and H.R.1744 Became Public Law | Weekly Congress Review, Nov. 2–8, 2026

1. The Week in one Paragraph

The Senate held a pro forma session on Monday, November 2, meeting at 5:10 p.m. and adjourning at 5:11 p.m., and scheduled another pro forma session for Thursday, November 5. The House met on November 2 at 2 p.m. and adjourned at 2:02 p.m. with no recorded votes. No roll call votes or committee hearings were held in either chamber. Two bills became public law on November 3: H.R.8205 and H.R.1744.

2. Bills Passed / Signed into law

H.R.8205	Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026	This act reauthorizes through FY2031 and revises programs that support research and development of drugs and other therapies to address amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and other neurodegenerative diseases.	Became Public Law No: 119-138 (11/03/2026)	https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8205
H.R.1744	United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2026	This bill reauthorizes the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom through 2028. The commission is an independent federal commission tasked with monitoring international religious freedom conditions, reviewing U.S. government policy, and making policy recommendations.	Became Public Law No: 119-137 (11/03/2026)	https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1744

3. Notable Votes

No notable roll call votes were provided for this week.

4. Hearings Held

No notable committee hearings were provided for this week.

5. Bills Introduced

Bill	Sponsor	What It Would Do	Source Link
H.R.10952	Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5]	Per its printed title, would promote forest health and reduce wildfire risk by prioritizing forest management through stewardship in high-risk firesheds, providing tax incentives for biomass energy production, and supporting economic utilization of forest products. Referred 11/02/2026 to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means and Natural Resources.	https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10952

6. STATEHOUSE THIS WEEK

Ohio: No statehouse activity was found for Ohio in the provided material.

Kentucky: The General Assembly is in the interim period, with no floor sessions. On Thursday, November 5, the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture held a meeting (9:00 am ET) with an agenda item on potential legislative issues for the 2027 Regular Session. The same day, the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy held a meeting (1:00 pm ET) with an agenda that included consideration of referred administrative regulations, among them 301 KAR 002:172 (Proposed Deer hunting seasons, zones, and requirements). Results are not stated. The Government Contract Review Committee meeting on November 4 is listed as canceled. Source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/legislativecalendar

West Virginia: No statehouse activity was found for West Virginia in the provided material. The interim committee schedule lists “No meetings scheduled” for the week. Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/interims/intcomsched.cfm?day1=11/02/2026

Virginia: No chamber floor sessions or votes occurred. On Thursday, November 5, commissions held meetings, including the Energy Commission of Virginia (10:00 AM), the Commission on Civic Education (10:00 AM, virtual), and the Health Insurance Reform Commission (2:00 PM). No bill numbers or results are stated. Source: https://lis.virginia.gov/schedule

Pennsylvania: No statehouse activity was found for Pennsylvania in the provided material. Neither chamber had session days November 2–8. Source: https://www.palegis.us/house/session

Indiana: No statehouse activity was found for Indiana in the provided material. Source: https://iga.in.gov/

7. WHAT’S COMING NEXT WEEK

U.S. House

Floor: The 2026 House Calendar marks November 9, 10, 11, and 12 as session days. Times and bills are not stated.
Monday, Nov. 9, 4:00 PM: Committee on Rules business meeting on H.R. 5949 (Data Integrity and Management Act) and H. Res. 5299 (National Science and Technology Council Review Act of 2026).
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 10:15 AM: Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 10466 (TRAIN Act) and H.R. 10467 (Skills and Opportunity Act of 2026).
Thursday, Nov. 12, 11:00 AM: Africa Subcommittee hearing on Mass Atrocities in Africa: Regional and International Approaches to Prevention and Accountability.
Friday, Nov. 13, 10:00 AM: Committee on Education and Workforce markup of H.R. 10466 and H.R. 10467.

U.S. Senate

Floor: Not stated.
Monday, Nov. 9, 5:30 PM: Veterans’ Affairs business meeting on nominations and Fiscal Year 2027 Major Medical Facility Lease Authorizations.
Tuesday, Nov. 10:
- 9:30 AM: Energy and Natural Resources hearing on the nomination of Dennis Kirk to be Inspector General, Department of the Interior.
- 10:30 AM: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing on pending nominations.
- 10:30 AM: Environment and Public Works hearing on the nomination of Justin Schwab to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
- 10:30 AM: Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on nominations, including Danielle Thumann Severs to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission.
- 11:00 AM: Judiciary business meeting on S.5289 and judicial nominations, including Daniel Lewis Ballou for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Also Tuesday, Nov. 10: Foreign Relations (10:00 AM), Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (10:00 AM), and Finance (11:00 AM) hearings on nominations.

Ohio

Senate: committees Monday, November 9; session Tuesday, November 10, 1:30 pm.
House: session Tuesday, November 10, 2:00 PM.

Kentucky (interim committees)

Monday, Nov. 9: Banking & Insurance (9:30), EAARS & Education Joint (11:00), Transportation (1:00).
Tuesday, Nov. 10: GCRC (9:00), Admin Regs (1:00).
Wednesday, Nov. 11: State Holiday, Veterans Day.
Thursday, Nov. 12: Tobacco Settlement (10:30), LOIC (1:00).

West Virginia (interim meetings, Nov. 9–11; 30 listed)

Monday, Nov. 9, 3:00 PM: Post Audits Subcommittee on Public Service Commission oversight of a utility merger, plus Transportation and Infrastructure and Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources subcommittees.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 10:00 AM: Rule-Making Review Subcommittee on proposed rules, including Title 177 (Department of Agriculture) and Title 174 (Environmental Protection).
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1:00 PM: Education committee on broadband in K-12 schools and rural communities, and Agriculture and Natural Resources (agenda posted soon).
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1:00 PM: Joint Committee on Water Resources (agenda posted soon).

Virginia

Monday, Nov. 9: Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (10:00 AM) and Virginia Housing Commission (1:00 PM).
Tuesday, Nov. 10: Joint Commission on Health Care (10:00 AM) and Commission on Civic Education Teacher Summit (8:30 AM).
Thursday–Friday, Nov. 12–13: Chesapeake Bay Commission in Hershey, PA.

Pennsylvania

House voting session Monday, November 9, 12:00 PM, and a House session day Tuesday, November 10.
House Appropriations Committee voting meetings Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10.
Senate Transportation Committee Friday, November 13, 10:00 AM, at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport.

Indiana: No votes or hearings have been announced for next week in the provided material.

8. SOURCES THIS WEEK

Congress.gov Daily Digest (Congressional Record, Nov. 2, 2026): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2026-11-02/html/CREC-2026-11-02-pt1-PgD987.htm
Congressional Record, House proceedings p. H6075: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2026-11-02/html/CREC-2026-11-02-pt1-PgH6075.htm
Congress.gov public laws: https://www.congress.gov/public-laws/119th-congress
Congress.gov bill pages: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8205 ; https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1744 ; https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10952
Senate.gov floor activity: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/floor_activity_pail.htm
Senate.gov votes and hearings: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/votes_new.htm ; https://www.senate.gov/committees/hearings_meetings.htm
House Clerk votes: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes
House committee calendar and floor: https://docs.house.gov/committee/ ; https://docs.house.gov/floor/
House Majority Leader schedule and calendar: https://www.majorityleader.gov/schedule/weekly-schedule.htm ; https://www.majorityleader.gov/UploadedFiles/2026Calendar_Sept16.pdf
Ohio: https://www.ohiohouse.gov/session/schedule ; https://www.ohiosenate.gov/assets/organizations/senate/files/session-schedule.pdf ; https://www.ohiosenate.gov/assets/organizations/senate/files/committee-schedule.pdf
Kentucky: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/legislativecalendar ; https://legislature.ky.gov/Documents/Current%20Interim%20Calendar.pdf
West Virginia: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/interims/intcomsched.cfm?day1=11/02/2026 ; http://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/interims/intcomsched.cfm?day1=11/09/2026
Virginia: https://lis.virginia.gov/schedule
Pennsylvania: https://www.palegis.us/house/session ; https://www.palegis.us/house/committees/meeting-schedule ; https://www.palegis.us/senate/committees
Indiana: https://iga.in.gov/

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This Week in Congress - November 2, 2026