S. 4256: Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act

119th Congress · introduced 2026-03-26 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act

Plain summary

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.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Andy Kim (D-NJ)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] reported raising $1.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119s4256.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s>

Record fed-us-cong119-s4256 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills