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The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed a bipartisan bill on Tuesday to increase access to mental health resources and treatments for air traffic controllers, pilots and others in the aviation industry. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration.The Mental Health in Aviation Act (S.3257) was introduced by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and John Hoeven (R-ND) in Nov. 2025 and passed the House of Representatives in Sept. 2025. It would require the FAA to modernize its regulations to encourage voluntary disclosure of mental health conditions and treatment in the aviation community. The administration would also be required to review the process to expand treatment options regularly and approved medications. The bill provides funding to reduce the special issuance backlog.
"By fostering an environment where pilots, ATC and other aviation professionals feel confident in seeking help for mental wellness concerns, without fear of retribution or repercussions, we can expedite treatment while also enhancing safety," said Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO. "We thank lawmakers for recognizing the need for action to better understand, acknowledge and treat mental wellness concerns in the aviation community and encourage the Senate to act quickly to advance this measure."
The bill would implement recommendations from the 2024 Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearance Aviation Rulemaking Committee. A total of $1.5 million will be given annually for a public campaign to reduce mental healthcare stigma and $15 million will be provided to the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine through 2029 to increase the number of trained aviation medical examiners (AMEs), including mental wellness specialists. Additional AMEs will improve the FAA Special Issuance Medical Certification process and help reduce current backlogs in applications.
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"I commend Senators Hoeven and Duckworth for their work on this important issue," said Jim Coon, AOPA senior VP for government affairs and advocacy. "This bill is one step closer to bringing long-overdue reforms. Pilots should not have to worry about being forced out of the flight deck—possibly losing their livelihood—when they should be seeking treatment."