November 25, 2025

Casten Applauds Bipartisan Senate Introduction of Pilot Mental Health Bills

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) applauded the bipartisan Senate introduction of the Mental Health in Aviation Act and the Aviation Medication Transparency Act by Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

“Ensuring pilots and aviators have access to mental health care makes our skies safer,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “The current outdated system perpetuates a culture of silence and unfairly penalizes aviators who seek care. I applaud Senators Hoeven and Duckworth for their leadership in introducing the Senate companions for two bills that rectify this issue and ensure those who need help can get it.”

Rep. Casten and Rep. Pete Stauber (MN-08) introduced the Mental Health in Aviation Act and the Aviation Medication Transparency Act in the House of Representatives in April. Reps. Casten and Stauber unanimously passed the Mental Health in Aviation Act through the House on September 8, 2025.

Rep. Casten began working on the issue after local families approached him with stories of losing adult children in flight school to suicide. In one case, the student pilot expressed how seeking mental health care could jeopardize his dreams of becoming a pilot.

Mental Health in Aviation Act

Currently, pilots and air traffic controllers who seek mental health care are unfairly penalized by a system that perpetuates a culture of silence. While aviation professionals are mandated to report if they seek mental health care, once they take that step, they are faced with delays, confusion, and overbroad regulation in the process of returning to work. This often means that relatively minor mental health concerns result in long wait times and derailed careers for safe and well-trained pilots and air traffic controllers.

In December 2023, the FAA recognized the need to reform its current policies and established the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to identify barriers to mental health care for aviators and present recommendations to the FAA to address these challenges. The ARC coalesced around a list of 24 recommendations to eliminate key barriers to care while upholding safety standards.

The Mental Health in Aviation Act requires the FAA to take the following steps:

Regulations for Individuals Carrying Out Aviation Activities

  • Directs the FAA to revise regulations based on recommendations from the FAA’s mental health task group that was established in the FAA Reauthorization of 2024 to encourage early disclosure and treatment of mental health conditions without fear of losing one’s career.

  • Requires the FAA to consult with a broad range of stakeholders, including academic institutions conducting aviation training and mental health professionals, to ensure that future policies reflect current clinical standards and aviation workforce realities.

Annual Review of Mental Health Special Issuance Process

  • Requires the FAA to annually review and update processes related to the special issuance process for FAA medical certificates for pilots and air traffic controllers.

  • Requires the FAA to annually review the classification and use of medications, and to improve mental health knowledge and training provided to Aviation Medical Examiners.

Authorization of Appropriation for Additional Medical Examiners

  • Allocates $15 million annually (FY2026–FY2029) to recruit and train additional aviation medical examiners (AMEs) and human intervention motivation study (HIMS) trained AME’s, including psychiatrists, to increase oversight and process certification reviews more efficiently.

Public Information Campaign

  • Allocates $1.5 million annually (FY2026–FY2029) for a public information campaign to reduce the stigma around mental health care in aviation, and to encourage pilots and air traffic controllers to seek necessary mental health treatment.

Text of the House version of the Mental Health in Aviation Act can be found here.

 

Aviation Medication Transparency Act

Currently, the FAA provides Aviation Medical Examiners with specific guidance on medications that are safe for aviators and those that necessitate grounding for various periods. However, this crucial information is not made accessible to pilots, non-aeromedical physicians, or air traffic Controllers.

As a result, an aviator may unknowingly take prescription medications that could potentially jeopardize their career. If both the aviator and their physician had access to information regarding permissible medications, they could opt for similar medications that would not pose such risks. To make sure pilots and air traffic controllers have full information, the Aviation Medication Transparency Act requires the publication of a list of approved medications. Further, this bill requires that the FAA:

  • Publish and maintain this list of medications that are safe for pilots and air traffic controllers to take while working within one year of enactment.

  • Maintain this list in consultation with various stakeholders

  • Ensure that this list is comprehensive and drafted in a user-friendly and accessible manner.

  • Indicate what, if any, period of time aviators must have limited duties while taking this medication

  • Indicate a list of medications that the FAA has designated as “Do Not Issue”

  • Include any other clarifications it deems necessary

  • Update this list annually

  • Include a mechanism for doctors to seek information from the FAA should they have any questions

Text of the Aviation Medication Transparency Act can be found here.

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