The US Senate has passed two bipartisan bills by unanimous consent that would make it easier for pilots and air traffic controllers to seek mental health treatment and to understand how medications affect their medical eligibility.

Both measures — the John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act (S. 3257) and the Aviation Medication Transparency Act (S. 3258) — still require House action before reaching the president. The House passed its own mental health bill in September 2025, but because the Senate approved a separate, amended measure, further House action is necessary.

The legislation targets a well-documented problem. A 2023 Transportation Department inspector general's report found that the FAA had comprehensive procedures to evaluate pilots' psychological health, but that pilots' reluctance to disclose conditions limited the agency's ability to address safety risks. The report identified stigma, potential career consequences and fear of financial hardship as the barriers keeping pilots and controllers from coming forward.

S. 3257 gives the FAA 18 months after enactment to update its medical-certification regulations and guidance so they encourage treatment and disclosure rather than deter it. It also requires recurring reviews of the special issuance process, under which the agency approves applicants who do not meet standard medical requirements.

Those reviews would weigh additional medications and evidence-based treatments, enhanced training for aviation medical examiners and whether appropriately trained examiners should hold more authority to issue certificates directly.

The bill authorizes up to $15 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2028 to recruit and train examiners, expand FAA medical-review capacity and reduce certification backlogs. It also calls for public education campaigns to reduce stigma and improve awareness of support services.

The FAA faces a hard deadline on reform input it already has in hand. Within two years of enactment, the agency must implement appropriate recommendations from its 2024 Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee — and must explain to Congress any decision not to adopt a recommendation.

The Air Line Pilots Association welcomed the Senate vote and quantified the cost of the status quo: pilots beginning antidepressant treatment can wait more than a year for initial FAA authorization to return to the cockpit.

"Seeking mental health care should be viewed not as a career risk but as a professional responsibility," ALPA President Captain Jason Ambrosi said.

The companion medication bill addresses a different information gap. S. 3258 would require the FAA to publish accessible guidance within one year of enactment covering prescription and over-the-counter medications, the conditions for their use and whether additional FAA review is needed.

That guidance would spell out medications designated "Do Not Issue" or "Do Not Fly" and, where practicable, minimum periods during which aviation personnel must limit or suspend duties while stabilizing on a medication. The information would be publicly available and accessible through MedXPress.

The FAA has already moved on parts of this terrain without legislation. Under its current AME-assisted special issuance pathway for anxiety, depression and related conditions, aviation medical examiners can renew certificates for eligible applicants once the FAA grants initial authorization. Continuing medical documentation is required, and new symptoms or other concerns must be referred back to the agency.

The mental health legislation carries a personal history. It is named for John A. Hauser, a University of North Dakota aviation student who died by suicide in October 2021. His parents, Anne Suh and Alan Hauser, have supported efforts to improve access to care for aviation students and professionals.

With the Senate having amended its version relative to the House bill passed in September, the two chambers must still reconcile their approaches — or the House must take up the Senate text — before the measures can reach the president's desk.