March 26, 2026
Mr. Sheehy (for himself and Mr. Kim) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish acceptable formats for presentation of airman certificates to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act
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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 amendment made by this section, and any applicable guidance and policies.