Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025

The bill orders the FAA Administrator to update medical certification rules, including rules in Part 67 of the aviation regulations, within two years. These updates must make it easier and safer for people in aviation to seek help for mental health concerns and to report those conditions or symptoms to the FAA. The FAA must also issue guidance that supports these goals. It changes an existing law (the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024) to expand what a mental health task group reviews. The task group must now look at National Transportation Safety Board recommendations on aviation mental health and describe what clinical studies, research, and diagnostic tools are being used. The task group must consult with unions for FAA air traffic controllers, pilot organizations, certain aviation colleges, and other relevant stakeholders. The bill requires the FAA to act on recommendations from required reports under the 2024 law within 180 days of each report. If the FAA chooses not to follow a recommendation, it must send Congress a written justification within 90 days. The same kind of timeline and justification rule applies to recommendations from the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee. Starting 180 days after the first related report, the FAA must review its mental health “special issuance” process every year. It must update regulations, policies, orders, and guidance for pilots and air traffic controllers as needed. These reviews must look at whether more medications and evidence-based treatments can be allowed, how to improve mental health training for aviation medical examiners, when examiners can issue certificates in mental health cases, and how to make the special issuance process work better overall. The bill allows the FAA to use up to $15 million per year from existing funds, for fiscal years 2026 through 2029, to increase capacity in the Office of Aerospace Medicine. This money can be used to recruit and train more aviation medical examiners (including psychiatrists), reduce backlogs in special issuance cases, strengthen oversight of examiners, and provide better mental health training. The Administrator may also use these funds for other related activities. Finally, the bill sets up a public information campaign using up to $1.5 million per year from existing FAA funds, for fiscal years 2026 through 2029. The campaign must aim to reduce stigma around mental health care for people in or entering the aviation industry, raise awareness of support services, and improve trust between the FAA and pilots and air traffic controllers. The FAA must make online information easy to find, post it in aviation medical examiner offices, and work with airlines, flight schools, and airports to share it. The FAA must brief Congress within 90 days of starting the campaign and then report back within two years on outreach, engagement, and feedback from aviation stakeholders.