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Senate and House Have Passed Similar Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Mental Health Care for Pilots & Air Traffic Controllers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, today praised Senate approval of legislation she cosponsored to reduce bureaucratic delays and overregulation in how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approaches to mental health and medical certification.
The John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act (S.3257), passed by unanimous consent, would reduce bureaucratic delays and overregulation within the FAA that creates a culture of silence regarding mental health in the aviation industry. Under current FAA regulations, pilots and air traffic controllers are required to disclose mental health treatments, which can lead to prolonged delays in returning to work due to excessive regulations and limited psychiatric staff to handle mental health evaluations.
“We’ve made a concerted effort in recent years to address the shortage of pilots and air traffic controllers as part of the appropriations process. Senate approval of this bill recognizes that existing FAA regulations and policies are standing in the way of promoting mental health and keeping qualified air traffic controllers and pilots working,” Hyde-Smith said. “There is significant support for fixing these issues in the Senate and House, so I hope we can get a bill enacted before the end of the year.”
Provisions in the John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act, which is named for a University of North Dakota aviation student who tragically took his own life in an aircraft in October 2021, are based on FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee recommendations. Similar legislation (HR.2591) passed the House of Representatives in September 2025.
Introduced by U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.), S.3257 would require the FAA to:
- Modernize mental health guidance regulations for pilots and air traffic controllers to encourage the early disclosure and treatment of mental health conditions, while also requiring a regular review of the FAA Mental Health Special Issuance Process.
- Provide funding to train additional medical examiners, including specialists, to improve the efficiency of the FAA Special Issuance Medical Certification process.
- Undertake a public information campaign to help reduce the stigma around mental health care in aviation and encourage aviation professionals to seek mental health care.
The Senate recently also passed the Aviation Medication Transparency Act (S.3258), which would require the FAA to issue accessible, user-friendly guidance on medications that are safe for individuals in positions requiring a FAA Medical Certificate, including pilots, air traffic controllers, and other aviation professionals.
The Airlines for America (A4A), Regional Airline Association (RAA), Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) are among the groups that support these measures.
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