P4HR Takes HIMS Reform to Capitol Hill: The House and Senate Are Now Being Asked to Act

With the FAA's rulemaking process now formally underway, Pilots for HIMS Reform has opened the second front of its reform campaign: direct outreach to the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate seeking introduction, sponsorship, oversight, and passage of the Pilots for HIMS Reform Act of 2026.

Pilots for HIMS Reform, Inc. | August 24, 2026

This is an important evolution in the campaign. P4HR is no longer asking only whether the FAA will voluntarily reform HIMS and aeromedical certification through policy. We are now pursuing reform through the two institutions capable of making lasting change: the agency through rulemaking and Congress through legislation.

One Reform Effort. Two Tracks.

The petition and the proposed Act were built to work together. They address the same underlying problem from different legal directions.

That distinction matters. Some reforms can be made by the FAA today. Others require Congress. P4HR does not intend to allow either institution to point to the other as a reason for inaction.

What We Asked the House and Senate to Do

Our letters are not requests for a ceremonial acknowledgment or a sympathetic reply. They ask lawmakers and aviation staff to take specific action.

Why Now?

Because the regulatory process is no longer hypothetical. On August 24, the FAA formally acknowledged P4HR's petition, assigned it Docket FAA-2026-10399, and advised that it contains sufficient information to be accepted for review. The agency also indicated that disposition is expected to take longer than 120 days.

That creates an opportunity Congress should not ignore. Lawmakers can now watch an active federal rulemaking matter while simultaneously considering legislation aimed at the same structural problems. Congressional oversight can ask what standards the FAA is applying today, what evidence supports those standards, what outcome data exist, and whether pilots have a transparent and meaningful path from extraordinary monitoring back to ordinary unrestricted certification.

At the same time, a House sponsor and a Senate sponsor can begin the work of turning the Pilots for HIMS Reform Act of 2026 from a comprehensive legislative proposal into introduced legislation.

This Is About Better Safety, Not Lower Standards

P4HR continues to reject the false choice between aviation safety and basic fairness. A system can demand rigorous medical standards while still publishing those standards. It can protect the public while still requiring decisions to be evidence-based. It can intervene when a current medical risk exists while still recognizing successful long-term recovery. It can require appropriate monitoring without allowing extraordinary oversight to become indefinite simply because the pathway out is unclear.

In fact, transparency strengthens safety. Pilots are more likely to seek help when they know the system has understandable rules, meaningful review, objective expectations, and a legitimate pathway forward. Physicians can do better work when professional judgment is respected. Regulators make better decisions when those decisions must be supported by evidence and capable of review.

We Are Publishing the Record

P4HR believes advocacy for transparency should itself be transparent. Publicly redacted copies of the letters sent in this congressional outreach are available below so pilots, families, medical professionals and supporters can see exactly what we are asking lawmakers to do.

Now We Need the Aviation Community

Filing a petition matters. Drafting legislation matters. Putting those documents in front of the people with the authority to act matters. But none of those steps can substitute for public engagement.

If you believe aviation medical certification should be transparent, evidence-based, consistent and fair, this is the time to make that position visible. Read the petition. Read the bill. Comment on the federal docket. Contact your Representative and Senators. Share this effort with pilots, families, physicians and anyone who believes safety and due process belong in the same system.

And if you are able to support P4HR financially, please do. Legislative outreach, document production, travel, records work, research and continued advocacy all cost money. P4HR is continuing to push on multiple fronts because the people living under this system deserve more than another promise to study the problem.