FAA updates rules so pilots can get mental health help.

What it does

The bill tells the FAA to change its rules within 2 years. Pilots and air traffic controllers can tell doctors about mental health issues. They can get help without losing their jobs. The bill gives money to hire more doctors. It pays to clear a backlog of requests and train doctors better. It pays for ads to reduce shame around mental health. The FAA must review its special-issuance process each year. It must think about new medicines and treatments.

Who it affects

Pilots and air traffic controllers can seek mental health help without fear of losing work. Passengers fly safer because pilots and controllers can get help for untreated mental health issues. Doctors who check pilot health get hired and trained.

One thing to notice

The bill does not force the FAA to say yes to any drug or treatment. The FAA keeps final say on whether someone can work, based on safety.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

29 cosponsors: 15 Democrats, 14 Republicans.

• Nov 20, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Nov 20, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation”
• Apr 14, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

13 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 17 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $3,365,143 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 12 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 94% of bills with any report.

John Hoeven, who sponsored the bill, received $265,175 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• United Airlines Inc — $1,110,000 in 1 report
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters — $489,143 in 1 report
• National Air Traffic Controllers Association — $360,000 in 1 report
• Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association — $320,000 in 1 report
• Air Line Pilots Association — $266,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• special-issuance — a request for work permission even though a person has a health issue the FAA usually does not allow.
• backlog — a pile of requests waiting to be handled.
• air traffic controllers — people who guide planes in the sky and on the ground.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.