The Senate on Thursday passed a pair of bills designed to clear the way for pilots and air traffic controllers to seek mental health treatment and to reduce the stigma surrounding those conditions.
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and both measures cleared the upper chamber by unanimous consent, a rare show of agreement on Capitol Hill.
The first bill, introduced by Hoeven, would require the Federal Aviation Administration to issue guidance encouraging pilots and air traffic controllers who are struggling with mental health issues to get treatment. The measure would also provide "enhanced" training for aviation medical examiners on how to handle these conditions.
The legislation is named in honor of John A. Hauser, an aviation student from Chicago who took his own life in 2021 while attending the University of North Dakota.
Hoeven took aim at the FAA's red tape in a statement released after senators approved the package.
"Our nation faces a severe shortage of qualified pilots and air traffic controllers, while bureaucratic delays and outdated processes at the FAA keep these professionals from working for prolonged periods when they seek mental health care," Hoeven said.
The second bill, put forward by Duckworth, focuses on transparency around which medications are available to workers in the aviation industry.
Titled the Aviation Medication Transparency Act of 2026, the measure would direct the FAA to create a list of medications that can be safely prescribed to pilots and air traffic controllers, and to update that list every year.
Duckworth stressed the pressure these professionals face on the job and argued that seeking help should not put their livelihoods at risk.
"Our aviation system depends on the well-being of our pilots and air traffic controllers, who operate under an immense amount of stress," Duckworth said in a statement. "Their careers should never be threatened because they weren't properly informed about which medications they're allowed to take, or simply sought the mental health care they need."
Taken together, the two bills target separate but related problems. Hoeven's measure zeroes in on guidance for aviation workers and training for the medical examiners who evaluate them, while Duckworth's measure aims to give pilots and controllers a clear, regularly updated list of medications they can safely take.
With the Senate's approval secured, both bills now move to the House for consideration.
The push in Congress follows action by the FAA itself. Earlier this year, the agency issued new guidance encouraging pilots and air traffic controllers to seek counseling and other mental health services.
The Hill said it reached out to the FAA for comment on the Senate's passage of the two bills.
