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

H.R. 2591 would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to annually review its policies related to mental health care for pilots and aviation workers and to implement recommendations from the April 2024 report published by the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee. The bill also would set aside $15 million each year from 2026 through 2028 from amounts already authorized to be appropriated for those years for the FAA for the purpose of hiring additional medical examiners and conducting public awareness campaigns on mental health treatment.

Because the $15 million set aside each year for those purposes would come from an existing authorization of appropriations, CBO does not attribute an increase in spending subject to appropriation to that provision. Lastly, the bill would require the FAA to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of the public awareness campaigns.

Based on the costs of similar requirements, CBO estimates that implementing the regulatory and reporting requirements in H.R. 2591 would cost $1 million over the 2025-2030 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

If the FAA revises or promulgates new regulations as a result of the bill, H.R. 2591 would impose private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) on certain people licensed by the FAA. Although some regulations could reduce the regulatory burden on aviation medical examiners and pilots, others could increase it. For example, the FAA could require additional training or implement new documentation and oversight practices. Because the scope and cost of the mandates would depend on regulations yet to be announced, CBO cannot determine whether the cost of compliance would exceed the threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($206 million in 2025, adjusted annually for inflation).

The bill would not impose intergovernmental mandates as defined in UMRA.

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Katherine Chou (for federal costs) and Brandon Lever (for mandates). The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.