April 14, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) — Today, the Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025 (S.3257) unanimously passed another hurdle in the Senate Commerce Committee.
This legislation, which would shift the paradigm of mental health stigma among aviators, has been gaining support quickly on both sides of the political spectrum. As of today, 13 Democrat and 13 Republican senators co-sponsor the MHAA, highlighting its bipartisanship and commonsense solutions to long-overdue stigma surrounding mental health among our nation’s exemplary aviators.
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) introduced the Mental Health in Aviation Act (MHAA) with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) as the co-lead.
The Senate version of the Mental Health in Aviation Act improves upon the version that the House of Representatives also passed unanimously. These include:
- Increasing funding from $13.74 million to $15 million for recruiting aeromedical examiners, providing additional mental health training, and clearing the backlog of special issuance requests.
- Setting stricter reporting timelines for the FAA Administrator to report to Congress on implementation of ARC recommendations and other mental health policy improvements.
- Clarifying and specifying that the public information campaign must be comprehensive and seek to end the stigma regarding mental health and mental health treatment in aviation.
“Pilots and air traffic controllers across the country are one step closer to equitable access to mental health care thanks to Senators Hoeven and Duckworth. Both chambers of Congress have now proven through clear, bipartisan support that the Mental Health in Aviation Act is long-needed, uncontroversial, and commonsense reform. The Pilot Mental Health Campaign applauds Senators Hoeven and Duckworth for their leadership on this legislation, and is eager to work with any and all Senators and stakeholders to bring the aeromedical system into the 21st century,” said PMHC Executive Director Chris Finlayson.
The legislation is endorsed by the Pilot Mental Health Campaign (PMHC), Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Airlines for America, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), National Flight Training Alliance, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP), the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), the Regional Airline Association (RAA), the Allied Pilots Association (APA), and the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS).
For more information or interview requests, contact:
Dan Mantooth, Media Director, [email protected]
About PMHC
The Pilot Mental Health Campaign is the first and only advocacy organization dedicated exclusively to reforming the broken American aeromedical system and building a safe, effective, and modern system that supports the mental health and wellbeing of American pilots. We are aviators, legal experts, mental health professionals, and loved ones failed by the current system, and we collaborate with industry stakeholders, mental health experts, policymakers, and all who believe mental health affects everybody. For more information, visit pmhc.org.