H.R. 2591 — Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025

This section directs the FAA Administrator, not later than two years after enactment, to update regulations—including in 14 CFR part 67 (i.e., medical standards and certification for airmen)—to encourage individuals performing aviation activities to seek help for and disclose mental health conditions or symptoms. (As background, 49 U.S.C. §44703 requires FAA to issue airman certificates only to qualified and physically able individuals, including those physically fit for duties.) The section also amends Section 411(d) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 by (1) expanding the task group's report requirements under paragraph (4) to include a review of National Transportation Safety Board recommendations on aviation workforce mental health and a description of relevant clinical studies, research, diagnostic manuals, and protocols; and (2) adding paragraph (5) to require the task group to consult with aviation and medical stakeholders (i.e., air traffic controller and airline pilot bargaining representatives, aviation medical examiners, and others). Finally, the section requires the Administrator, not later than 180 days after submission of the task group's report under Section 411(f), to implement its mental health-related recommendations or submit to congressional committees a justification for any decision not to implement.

This section directs the FAA Administrator to conduct an annual review, and update as appropriate, regulations, policies, orders, and guidance on mental health-related special issuance (i.e., FAA process for granting medical certificates to pilots and air traffic controllers with certain disqualifying conditions) to (1) reclassify and approve additional medications that may be safely prescribed to airmen to treat mental health conditions; (2) improve mental health knowledge and training for aviation medical examiners; (3) if appropriate and consistent with recommendations of the Mental Health Aviation Rulemaking Committee, delegate additional authority to aviation medical examiners; and (4) improve the special issuance process.

This section directs the FAA Administrator to set aside $13,740,000 annually for FY2026 through FY2028 from amounts available under 49 U.S.C. 106(k)(1)—which authorizes FAA operations funding—to (1) recruit, select, train, and delegate authority to additional aviation medical examiners (AMEs), including psychiatrists and human intervention motivation study (HIMS) AMEs who address pilot substance abuse issues; (2) expand oversight of AMEs and clear backlogs of special issuance requests (i.e., medical certifications for pilots with certain conditions) and cases at the Office of Aerospace Medicine; and (3) support related activities.

This section directs the FAA Administrator, not later than two years after the date of enactment of this Act, to implement to the greatest extent practicable the recommendations submitted on April 1, 2024, by the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee. In doing so, the Administrator must consult with the parties described in section 411(d)(5) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (as added by this Act). If the Administrator decides not to implement any such recommendations, the Administrator must submit a justification to the appropriate committees of Congress.

This section directs the FAA Administrator to set aside $1.5 million annually from amounts available under 49 U.S.C. 106(k)(1)—for FAA operations—for fiscal years 2026 through 2028 to fund a public information campaign destigmatizing mental health care-seeking in the aviation industry (particularly among pilots and air traffic controllers), raising awareness of supportive services, and building trust with those workers. The section also requires the Administrator to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees within one year of creating the campaign describing its development and implementation plans.

This section defines, for purposes of the Act, (1) appropriate committees of Congress as the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and (2) special issuance as having the meaning given that term in section 67.401 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (i.e., a medical certificate issued to an airman who does not meet standard medical certification requirements).