Washington, DCNBAA supports Senate bills to strengthen aviation safety and mental |
The National Business Aviation Association has welcomed the introduction of the Mental Health in Aviation Act and the Aviation Medication Transparency Act.
These measures aim to improve transparency around medication guidelines, expand access to mental health resources, reduce stigma, and help protect the livelihoods of controllers and pilots.
Both bills were introduced in the Senate by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and John Hoeven (R-ND). Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed the Mental Health in Aviation Act and introduced the Aviation Medication Transparency Act.
The Mental Health in Aviation Act would modernize mental health guidance regulations for pilots and air traffic controllers to encourage early disclosure and treatment of mental health conditions, require an annual review of the FAA’s Special Issuance Medical Certification process, and provide $15m per year from FY2026 to FY2029 to the FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine to expand and train additional medical examiners and specialists to improve certification efficiency.
It would also allocate $1.5m annually during the same period for a public information campaign aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health care.
“NBAA strongly supports the Mental Health in Aviation Act, which aims to address the stigma surrounding mental health in the aviation community. It’s essential that we foster an environment where pilots, air traffic controllers and others feel safe to seek help without fear of retribution or repercussion,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
NBAA is a longtime advocate of improving the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) approach to mental health and represented business aviation on the 2023 Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), which made similar recommendations to the FAA.
The Aviation Medication Transparency Act would require the FAA to publish within one year of enactment - and update annually - a comprehensive, user-friendly and accessible list of medications that are safe for pilots, air traffic control specialists and trainees, developed in consultation with various stakeholders. This information is currently available to aviation medical examiners, but not in an easy-to-understand format to pilots and air traffic controllers.
The act also would:
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Indicate what, if any, period of time individuals holding an FAA medical certificate must have limited or no duties while taking certain medication.
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Indicate a list of medications the FAA has designated as “can be safely prescribed,” and “Do Not Issue.”
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Provide information for doctors to contact the FAA should they have any questions.
“The Aviation Medication Transparency Act will establish a streamlined mechanism for pilots, air traffic controllers and others to access vital information about medications that may be safely prescribed,” said Bolen. “Ultimately, this legislation will enhance safety by empowering individuals with essential information to work with their doctors to find treatments that minimize the impact to their certification.”
BlueSky Business Aviation News | 27th November 2025 | Issue #821
