,i #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bjdf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #f1 #bjag,mr4 ,ben ,ray ,lujn of ,new ,mexico 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,engel1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mrs4 ,napolitano1 and ,mr4 ,loebsack7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to provide for a report on best practices for peer-support specialist programs1 to authorize grants for behavioral health paraprofessional training and education1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,peer-,support ,specialist ,act of #bjag4 #b4 ,report on best practices for peer-,support specialist programs1 training1 and certification 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall submit to the ,congress and make publicly available a report on best practices and professional standards in ,states for-- 7#a7 establishing and operating health care programs using peer-support specialists2 and 7#b7 training and certifying peer-support specialists4 7b7 ,peer-,support specialist defined ,in this subsection1 the term peer-support specialist means an individual who-- 7#a7 7,a7 uses his or her lived experience of recovery from mental illness or a substance use disorder1 plus skills learned in formal training1 to facilitate support groups1 and to work on a one-on-one basis1 with individuals with a serious mental illness or a substance use disorder2 7,b7 has benefitted or is benefitting from mental health or substance use treatment services or supports2 7,c7 provides non-medical services2 and 7,d7 performs services only within his or her area of training1 expertise1 competence1 or scope of practice2 7#b7 7,a7 uses his or her lived experience as the parent or caregiver of an individual with mental illness or a substance use disorder1 plus skills learned in formal training1 to facilitate support groups1 and to work on a one-on-one basis1 with individuals with a serious mental illness or a substance use disorder2 7,b7 provides non-medical services2 and 7,c7 performs services only within his or her area of training1 expertise1 competence1 or scope of practice2 or 7#c7 otherwise meets criteria specified by the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services for defining a peer-support specialist4 7c7 ,contents ,the report under this subsection shall include information on best practices and standards with regard to the following3 7#a7 ,hours of formal work or volunteer experience related to mental health and substance use issues4 7#b7 ,types of peer support specialists used by different health care programs4 7#c7 ,types of peer specialist exams required4 7#d7 ,code of ethics4 7#e7 ,additional training required prior to certification1 including in areas such as-- 7,a7 ethics2 7,b7 scope of practice2 7,c7 crisis intervention2 7,d7 ,state confidentiality laws2 7,e7 ,federal privacy protections1 including under the ,health ,insurance ,portability and ,accountability ,act of #aiif2 and 7,f7 other areas as determined by the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 7#f7 ,requirements to explain what1 where1 when1 and how to accurately complete all required documentation activities4 7#g7 ,required or recommended skill sets1 such as knowledge of-- 7,a7 risk indicators1 including individual stressors1 triggers1 and indicators of escalating symptoms2 7,b7 basic de-escalation techniques2 7,c7 basic suicide prevention concepts and techniques2 7,d7 identifying and responding to trauma2 7,e7 stages of change or recovery2 7,f7 the typical process that should be followed to access or participate in community mental health and related services2 7,g7 effectively working in care teams and facilitating the coordination of services2 and 7,h7 supporting individuals in meeting the consumer's recovery goals4 7#h7 ,requirements for continuing education4 #c4 ,peer professional workforce development grant program 7a7 ,in general ,for the purposes described in subsection 7b71 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall award grants to develop and sustain behavioral health paraprofessional training and education programs1 including through tuition support4 7b7 ,purposes ,the purposes of grants under this section are-- 7#a7 to increase the number of behavioral health paraprofessionals1 including trained peers1 recovery coaches1 mental health and addiction specialists1 prevention specialists1 and pre-masters-level addiction counselors2 and 7#b7 to help communities develop the infrastructure to train and certify peers as behavioral health paraprofessionals1 including necessary internship hours for credentialing4 7c7 ,eligible entities ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an entity shall be a community college1 training or credentialing program1 or other entity the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services deems appropriate4 7d7 ,geographic distribution ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall seek to achieve an appropriate national balance in the geographic distribution of such awards4 7e7 ,special consideration ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services may give special consideration to proposed and existing programs targeting peer professionals serving youth ages #af to #be4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #ajj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjah through #bjbb4