What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act This bill allows a pilot to present a digital copy of certain certificates (e.g., an airman certificate or a medical certificate) when required to present such documentation by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. Under current FAA regulations, a pilot must present for inspection a physical copy of an airman certificate and other paperwork upon a request from the FAA; a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer; or an authorized representative of the Transportation Security Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board. This bill allows a pilot to present a certificate such as an airman certificate or a medical certificate to an FAA inspector as (1) a physical certificate, or (2) a digital copy stored on an electronic device or cloud storage platform. The FAA must update current regulations to implement this change.
Action Timeline
2026-03-26
Introduced in Senate
2026-03-26
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did S.4256 pass?
S.4256 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: pending.
What does S.4256 do?
Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act This bill allows a pilot to present a digital copy of certain certificates (e.g., an airman certificate or a medical certificate) when required to present such documentation by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. Under current FAA regulations, a pilot must present for inspection a physical copy of an airman certificate and other paperwork upon a request from the FAA; a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer; or an authorized representative of the Transportation Security Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board. Thi…
Who sponsored S.4256?
S.4256 was sponsored by Tim Sheehy (R-Montana).
Full Bill Text
119 S4256 IS: Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act U.S. Senate 2026-03-26 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. II 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4256 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 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 A BILL To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish acceptable formats for presentation of airman certificates to the Federal Aviation Administration. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act . 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.
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