Senate Passes Hauser Act to Modernise Pilot Mental Health Rules

The US Senate has passed two bipartisan bills aimed at making it easier for pilots to seek mental health care without losing their medical certificates. Both passed by unanimous consent on Thursday 25 September 2026.

The John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act (S. 3257) and the Aviation Medication Transparency Act now return to the House, which passed its own version of the mental health bill in September 2025. Further House action is needed before either measure can reach the president.

What the Hauser Act requires

The bill directs the FAA to modernise its mental health guidance within 18 months by updating the medical certification rules in Part 67. It also asks the agency to:

• encourage earlier disclosure and treatment of mental health conditions;
• review its Mental Health Special Issuance process on a regular basis;
• give aviation medical examiners, including psychiatrists, additional training; and
• run a public information campaign to lower the barriers to seeking help.

The FAA would also have to implement the applicable recommendations of its 2024 Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee within two years, or explain why it has rejected them.

Funding

The legislation authorises up to $15 million a year through fiscal year 2028. The money is intended to recruit and train additional aviation medical examiners, expand the FAA’s medical review capacity and reduce special issuance backlogs.

Medication transparency

The second bill, the Aviation Medication Transparency Act, requires the FAA to publish accessible, plain-language guidance on which medications pilots and air traffic controllers may take and remain fit to fly.

Why it matters

The underlying problem is disclosure. The bill’s emphasis on earlier disclosure, a reviewed special issuance process and more examiners reflects concern that pilots avoid seeking care for fear of losing their medical certificates, and that backlogs in the special issuance process make that fear worse.

The bills do not change the underlying medical standards overnight. They set deadlines for the FAA to update its rules and guidance and provide funding to speed up examiner capacity. The practical effect for pilots depends on how the agency writes the revised Part 67 provisions and how quickly it clears the backlog.

Unanimous passage in the Senate, together with the earlier House vote, suggests broad support, but the chambers will need to reconcile their versions before a bill is sent to the White House.

The Senate’s action follows a House vote on its own mental health bill in September 2025. Until the two chambers agree on text, nothing in either bill changes the rules that pilots work under today, and the FAA is not yet bound by the 18-month deadline. Aviation medical examiners and pilot unions will be watching for the House calendar in the coming weeks.