Bill proposing a mental health center for pilots clears North Dakota House, heads to Senate

BISMARCK, N.D. — A bill to create a first-of-its-kind mental health program for pilots is heading to the North Dakota Senate.

On Friday, Feb. 21, House lawmakers passed a proposal to create the North Dakota Center for Aerospace Medicine at UND.

The center would be for pilots struggling with mental health challenges.

The bill was introduced in response to the death of 19-year-old John Hauser. In 2021, Hauser took his own life by intentionally crashing his plane during a test flight.

Notes Hauser left for his parents revealed he struggled with depression and was afraid that seeking help would end his dream of becoming a pilot.

If the bill is passed, $500,000 in state funding could become available to start work on the center as early as this summer.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.