Casten, Yakym Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Aviation Medication Transparency
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Congressmen Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and Rudy Yakym (R-IN-02) introduced the bipartisan Aviation Medication Transparency Act, legislation to require the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to publish and regularly update a list of approved medications for aviators.
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.
“Pilots and air traffic controllers deserve to know what medication they are allowed to take and which medications may derail their career,” said Rep. Casten. “The Aviation Medication Transparency Act improves the current system by making public the approved list of medications allowed by the FAA and helps aviators and their doctors make the best choice for their career and their health.”
“Especially given the current environment and pilot and air traffic controller shortage, we need to be doing everything possible to help these professionals in their careers and improve the state of American aviation,” said Rep. Yakym. “I am pleased to co-lead this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to ensure America’s pilots and air traffic controllers have more clarity when it comes to the medications they are and aren’t allowed to take.”
“The Pilot Mental Health Campaign (PMHC) thanks Rep. Casten for his leadership on what has until recently been an underappreciated issue. Aviators at all levels often struggle to understand what medications they can or can’t take, and why. This list is too often a moving target that does not provide the answers pilots need in one place. Medication transparency will help the aviation community access the list of medications without having to sort through an incomplete and confusing patchwork. This is a big step forward for pilots, air traffic controllers, and aviation as a whole,” said Brian Bomhoff, the Executive Director of Pilot Mental Health Campaign (PMHC).
"NBAA wholeheartedly supports all initiatives that simplify access to information about medications and their effects on an operator's ability to obtain medical certification," said Ed Bolen, NBAA President and CEO. "Ensuring pilots and others have the data needed for comprehensive health care is vital for upholding safety in aviation."
Text of the Aviation Medication Transparency Act can be found here.
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