Sponsors (15)
The bill improves transparency and clinician–FAA communication about medication rules for safety-sensitive aviation workers, at the cost of potentially stricter restrictions and administrative burdens that could delay or disrupt some workers' ability to be certified and return to duty.
Pilots, air traffic controllers, and other airmen gain a clear, publicly accessible list of medications that are approved or prohibited for medical certification within one year, improving transparency and helping them understand fitness-for-duty rules.
Applicants (pilots, controllers, and trainees) receive user-friendly guidance at their first medical-certification application, reducing uncertainty and likely lowering administrative delays during certification.
Medical providers get a designated FAA contact mechanism for questions, improving clinician–FAA communication and potentially speeding determinations and medical decision-making for safety-sensitive personnel.
Some airmen could lose or face delays in certification (and thus work and income) if commonly used medications are placed on the 'Do Not Issue' list until suitable alternatives or exemptions are arranged.
If the FAA's medication guidance is written or applied too conservatively, medical providers and applicants may face more paperwork, appeals, and delays in care or certification decisions.
Detailed stabilization timeframes and criteria could lead to inconsistent interpretation across clinicians and examiners, producing variable return-to-duty determinations for similar cases.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the FAA to publish and annually maintain a public list of medications approved or disallowed for issuance of medical certification for airmen and air traffic control specialists, including a "Do Not Issue" list and stabilization periods.
Official title: Require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to publish the list of medications that the Administrator has compiled for purposes of the medical certification of airmen and air traffic control specialists, and for other purposes.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Tammy Duckworth · Last progress October 1, 2026
Requires the FAA Administrator to publish and maintain a public, user-friendly list of prescription and over-the-counter medications that are considered acceptable or unacceptable for issuance of medical certification to airmen and air traffic control specialists. The list must include a "Do Not Issue" category, indicate any recommended stabilization periods during which duty should be limited or withheld, provide FAA medical contact information, and be developed in consultation with aeromedical experts, labor, pilot organizations, and other stakeholders; the FAA must publish the list within one year and update it annually.