Overview
Title
To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to revise regulations for certain individuals carrying out aviation activities who disclose a mental health diagnosis or condition, and for other purposes.
ELI5 AI
The "Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025" is a plan to help pilots and aviation workers talk about their feelings and get help for their mental health without being scared, and it wants to hire more doctors to support them and let everyone know that it's okay to ask for help.
Summary AI
H.R. 2591, titled the "Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025," requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to update regulations for aviation workers who disclose mental health conditions. The bill aims to encourage individuals in aviation to seek help and report their mental health issues without stigma. It calls for annual reviews of the mental health special issuance process, allocation of funds to hire more aviation medical examiners, and a public campaign to promote mental health awareness in the industry. These efforts are intended to improve the mental health support systems available to pilots and air traffic controllers.
Published
Keywords AI
Sources
Bill Statistics
Size
Language
Complexity
AnalysisAI
Summary of the Bill
The "Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025" is a legislative proposal aimed at improving mental health regulations and support within the aviation industry. Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, this Act requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to revise and update certain regulations concerning individuals who carry out aviation activities and disclose a mental health diagnosis or condition. The bill mandates the FAA to implement the recommendations of an aviation workforce mental health task group, conduct an annual review of mental health-related processes, authorize appropriations for more aviation medical examiners, and run a public information campaign to reduce stigma around seeking mental health care in aviation.
Summary of Significant Issues
A significant issue with this bill is the timeline set for the implementation of recommendations. Section 2 specifies a delay of up to two years, which could hinder the timely delivery of important mental health support to aviation workers. Additionally, the appropriations outlined in Section 4 raise concerns about potential wasteful spending due to the lack of specific targets and accountability measures. Similarly, Sections 3 and 6 introduce broad targets to improve mental health knowledge and public information campaigns but fail to define the criteria for success, leaving room for inefficient or ineffective execution.
The wording within these sections, such as "any other actions necessary" or "delegate additional authority," grants substantial discretion to the FAA Administrator. These broad language choices might lead to inconsistent enforcement or unintended consequences.
Impact on the Public
Broadly, this bill aims to influence the public by building a safer and more supportive aviation environment, where mental health conditions are openly addressed without stigma. It acknowledges the vital role mental health plays in ensuring aviation safety and seeks to establish clearer pathways for aviation professionals to access needed help without fear of professional repercussions.
However, the bill's efficacy could be impaired by its ambiguities and potential delays in implementation. If critical steps and clear benchmarks are not established, the public might not observe tangible improvements within the planned timeline, impacting the perceived commitment to mental health support in aviation.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
The aviation workforce, particularly pilots and air traffic controllers, are primary stakeholders who stand to benefit from the bill's provisions. Encouraging early disclosure and treatment of mental health conditions could enhance their quality of life and professional performance. Yet, concerns about confidentiality and fears of job security might persist if procedural ambiguities are not thoroughly addressed.
Aviation medical examiners, another key stakeholder group, may face expanded responsibilities and require additional training to align with the bill's ambitions. Without explicit guidelines and support, they might experience challenges in implementing these new responsibilities effectively.
Furthermore, airline companies and the broader aviation industry might have mixed reactions. While improved mental health support may lead to better workforce productivity and reduced incidents, the costs of compliance and changes in medical evaluation processes could pose challenges.
In summary, while the "Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025" is a step towards progressive change in aviation mental health policies, the lack of clear guidelines and specific measures presents potential issues that could complicate its successful implementation. Adequate clarity, accountability, and stakeholder engagement are essential to ensuring the bill meets its intended objectives and genuinely supports aviation professionals.
Financial Assessment
The bill titled "Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025," identified as H.R. 2591, contains several financial provisions designed to support mental health initiatives within the aviation industry. These provisions involve substantial monetary commitments and appropriations, which are outlined below:
Summary of Financial Commitments
Appropriation for Aviation Medical Examiners: The bill authorizes $13,740,000 annually from 2026 through 2029. This appropriation is aimed at recruiting, selecting, training, and delegating necessary authorities to additional aviation medical examiners, including psychiatrists. It also focuses on expanding oversight capabilities and clearing the backlog of special issuance requests and cases at the Office of Aerospace Medicine.
Public Information Campaign: An additional allocation of $1,500,000 per year from 2026 to 2029 is set aside for a public information campaign. This campaign is intended to destigmatize mental health support, enhance awareness of mental health services available, and foster trust within the aviation community.
Relation to Identified Issues
Bulk Appropriation with Lack of Specific Targets: The significant annual appropriation of $13,740,000 raises concerns due to the absence of specified performance metrics or targets. Without clear accountability measures, there is a risk of potential misallocation or inefficiencies in spending. The legislation does not explicitly define how the success of these investments is to be measured, which could lead to financial management issues.
Effectiveness of Public Information Campaign Funding: The allocation of $1,500,000 annually for the public information campaign is meant to drive broad mental health awareness. However, the bill does not clarify the specific strategies or platforms through which this campaign will be executed. This ambiguity could result in inefficient use of resources if the campaign does not have a well-defined strategy for achieving its objectives.
Potential Discretion Without Specific Guidelines: Financial provisions in the bill, such as those involving the delegation of authority to medical examiners, allow for broad discretion on the part of the FAA Administrator. The vagueness surrounding "any other actions necessary" and the task of delegating authority could lead to inconsistent application of funds if not carefully monitored or if clear guidelines are not established.
Unclear Oversight on Financial Allocations: There is no explicit mention of oversight mechanisms in the bill to ensure that the allocated funds achieve the intended mental health improvements in aviation. This lack of oversight might affect the effective utilization of resources and could lead to bureaucratic delays in implementing much-needed mental health support services.
In summary, while H.R. 2591 aims to foster mental health awareness and support within the aviation sector through significant financial allocations, the potential issues related to the absence of detailed performance standards and strategic clarity pose substantial risks to the bill's financial efficacy and accountability.
Issues
The timeline in Section 2 'not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act' for implementing recommendations could be perceived as slow, potentially delaying important mental health support for individuals in the aviation industry.
In Section 4, the appropriation of $13,740,000 annually from 2026 to 2029 is substantial, yet the absence of specific targets or performance metrics raises concerns about potential wasteful spending without clear accountability
Section 3's lack of specificity on what constitutes 'improve mental health knowledge and training' makes it unclear how these improvements will be measured or implemented, potentially impacting the effectiveness of the program.
The phrase 'any other actions necessary' in Section 2 is vague and could result in either excessive actions or insufficient actions being taken, allowing too much discretion to the Administrator, which may lead to unintended legal or operational consequences.
Section 6 outlines a significant budget for the public information campaign without clarity on specific strategies or platforms to be used, raising questions about the efficiency and potential wastefulness of the expenditure without clear accountability or success measures.
In Section 5, the lack of specification regarding the recommendations of the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee makes it difficult to assess the impact and implications of their implementation.
The broad discretion given to the Administrator in Section 3 to 'delegate additional authority' to aviation medical examiners could lead to inconsistent application of rules if not guided by clear and transparent criteria.
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Short title Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The first section of the Act states that it will be officially known as the "Mental Health in Aviation Act of 2025."
2. Regulations for individuals carrying out aviation activities Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The bill section requires the Federal Aviation Administration to update regulations and actions to support mental health awareness for aviation workers within two years, consulting with various stakeholders. It also mandates amendments to a previous act to include evaluations of safety board recommendations and a description of mental health studies related to aviation.
3. Annual review of mental health special issuance process Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is required to annually review and potentially update rules and policies related to mental health assessments for pilots and air traffic controllers. The review aims to expand the list of approved medications for mental health treatment, enhance the mental health training for aviation medical examiners, possibly give more authority to these examiners in line with certain recommendations, and improve the process for special mental health assessments.
4. Authorization of appropriation for additional aviation medical examiners Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section authorizes $13,740,000 to be allocated annually from 2026 to 2029 to recruit, train, and empower more aviation medical examiners, increase oversight capacity, reduce special issuance backlogs, and support other related activities.
Money References
- There is authorized to be appropriated $13,740,000 to the Administrator for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to— (1) recruit, select, train, and delegate the necessary authorities to additional aviation medical examiners and human intervention motivation study aviation medical examiners, including those who are psychiatrists; (2) expand capacity to provide oversight of aviation medical examiners and clear the backlog of special issuance requests and cases awaiting review at the Office of Aerospace Medicine; and (3) support any other related activities, as determined by the Administrator. ---
5. Implementation of aviation rulemaking committee recommendations Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section requires the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to implement recommendations from a specific aviation committee on mental health and medical clearances within two years of the Act's enactment. Additionally, the Administrator must consult with relevant parties during this implementation process.
6. Public information campaign Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section authorizes $1,500,000 per year from 2026 to 2029 for the Federal Aviation Administration to run an information campaign. This campaign aims to remove the stigma for aviation workers seeking mental health help and to raise awareness about available support services. Additionally, the Administrator must report to Congress on the campaign's development and implementation plan within one year.
Money References
- SEC. 6. Public information campaign. (a) In general.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 for a public information campaign or similar public education efforts to destigmatize individuals in (or interested in joining)
7. Definitions Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
This section defines two important terms used in the Act: "appropriate committees of Congress," which refers to specific committees in the House and Senate related to transportation, and "special issuance," a term explained in another section of federal regulations.