SENATE COMMITTEE ADVANCES AVIATION MENTAL HEALTH BILL
May 21, 2026
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On April 14, 2026, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously passed legislation which would direct the FAA to modernize its medical certification process to better support pilots and air traffic controllers who seek mental health treatment. In addition to addressing longstanding stigmas which have historically discouraged pilots and air traffic controllers from seeking treatment, the legislation would also reform the FAA’s special issuance medical certificate process and expand the list of approved medications for treating mental health conditions. By authorizing the FAA to recruit and train more aviation medical examiners while simultaneously conducting public awareness initiatives to reduce stigma around mental health care in aviation, advocates of the Mental Health in Aviation Act seek to codify revisions to the FAA’s medical health regulations which were first proposed by the 2024 Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee. The full U.S. Senate must now consider the legislative text before mental health guidance regulations for pilots and air traffic controllers can be modernized to reflect current attitudes.
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