March 25, 2026
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
To amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize the use of physical or digital copies of certain certificates for certain Federal Aviation Administration inspections, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act
.
Sec. 2. Acceptable forms of certification
(a) In general
Section 44703 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(m) Sufficiency of digital and physical airman certificates
An individual issued a certificate pursuant to this section (including a medical certificate) may present such certificate to an inspector of the Federal Aviation Administration in any of the following formats:
(1)
A physical certificate issued by the Administrator (or his or her designee).
(2)
A digital certificate issued by the Administrator that is stored on an electronic device or, in areas where there is sufficient connectivity to do so, a cloud-based system, and presented in accordance with authentication and verification requirements established by the Administrator.
(b) Rulemaking
Not later than November 30, 2028, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue a final rule to update regulations in parts 61, 63, 65, 67, and 107 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, to implement the amendments made by this section, and any applicable guidance and policies.