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It's tough to get Congress to agree on much, but one thing that 45 representatives for both parties agree on is having the FAA to do a better job helping pilots get mental health care.
Last Wednesday, members of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and other House members sent a letter to FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.
While it calls for more action on an expedited timeline, it is not as comprehensive in providing specifics.
"It is clear to us that talented aviation professionals - our constituents - often suffer in silence because of the fear that medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment, could potentially prolong their return to work, or even prevent them from pursuing their aviation careers," the letter states. "Medical standards help ensure safety in the National Airspace System; however, they cannot be so cumbersome or potentially punitive as to prevent healthy aviation professionals from having the ability to work."
The letter goes on to call for better policies and screening methods to encourage the nation's aviators and air traffic controllers to seek care when needed.
"Valuable time cannot be wasted by simply restating what previous findings have already been uncovered," the letter states. "These entities must be tasked with putting forward concrete and actionable solutions to break down the barriers so professionals can seek care, while also maintaining rigorous safety standards. Anything less is a disservice to our dedicated aviation workforce, as well as individuals aspiring to join this growing sector."
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Late last year, the FAA formed the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee.
It notes that action is needed sooner rather than later to attract more workers into aviation.
"As today's young adults are more apt to openly discuss their mental health, we must be careful to not alienate any future workforce by continuing with a culture of stigma and fear of termination or denial," the letter states.
The NBAA applauded the letter. The business aviation advocacy group participated in an NTSB mental health summit in December.
"This issue is a priority for business aviation, and we know it's a priority for FAA and NTSB because it's vital to aviation safety," NBAA President Ed Bolen said. "We will continue to work with the agencies, Congress and others to ensure those in our industry can get mental health care without concerns over whether doing so will impact their employment."
Read the full congressional letter here.