,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hjaf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,august #aa1 #bjbj,ms4 ,mucarsel-,powell 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,napolitano1 ,ms4 ,judy ,chu of ,california1 ,ms4 ,porter1 ,mr4 ,trone1 ,ms4 ,sherrill1 and ,mr4 ,lowenthal7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to establish a centralized network of peer support warmlines1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,peer ,assisted ,relief ,through ,networks of ,empathetic ,resources and ,supports ,act of #bjbj or the ,,partners ,act4 #b4 ,national peer support warmline program ,subpart #c of part ,b of title ,v of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;bb-#ca et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ebj,n4 ,national peer support warmline program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall establish and maintain a centralized network of peer support warmlines to-- 7#a7 provide accessible resources to individuals seeking mental health support by-- 7,a7 establishing and maintaining a single1 toll-free telephone number through which individuals throughout the ,united ,states may access such peer support warmlines2 and 7,b7 coordinating the operation of the telephone number established under subparagraph 7,a7 with the ,national ,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline2 and 7#b7 establish best practices for the operation of peer support warmlines4 7b7 ,centers of excellence 7#a7 ,establishment ,in carrying out the program under this section1 not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall award a grant to1 or enter into a cooperative agreement with1 not less than #d and not more than #e entities4 7#b7 ,eligible uses ,an entity receiving a grant or entering into a cooperative agreement under this section shall-- 7,a7 for any such entity not operating a peer support warmline as of the date on which such entity receives a grant or enters into a cooperative agreement1 establish and operate a new center of excellence to operate such peer support warmline2 or 7,b7 for any such entity operating a peer support warmline that meets the criteria specified in paragraph 7#c7 as of the date on which such entity receives a grant or enters into a cooperative agreement1 establish a center of excellence to support and operate such warmline under the program established under subsection 7a74 7#c7 ,conditions ,as a condition on the receipt of a grant under this section1 the grant recipient-- 7,a7 may not use grant funds to remunerate an individual who operates a peer support warmline for the grant recipient unless such individual is an employee of such grant recipient2 7,b7 shall ensure that employees operating the peer support warmline are qualified peer support specialists and experts in peer support services1 including the provision of such services using telehealth2 7,c7 shall consider hiring employees who speak a language other than ,english1 including a language relevant to the region in which such grant recipient is located1 to operate the peer support warmline2 7,d7 shall require that employees operating the peer support warmline complete-- 7i7 #b training courses1 consisting of at least a #aj-;hour introductory training course and1 within #b years of employment1 a #dj-;hour advanced training course1 that cover topics including-- 7,i7 peer support values and practices2 7,,ii7 active listening skills2 7,,iii7 structured sharing of personal or shared experiences2 and 7,,iv7 how to-- 7aa7 connect with an individual using a peer support warmline with compassion2 7bb7 avoid giving advice or providing psychotherapy-like services to an individual using a peer support warmline2 7cc7 identify when an individual using a peer support warmline is experiencing an event constituting a suicide emergency and refer such individual to the ,national ,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline2 7dd7 collaborate with other qualified peer support specialists when an individual using a peer support warmline experiences a mental health or suicide crisis2 7ee7 refer an individual using a peer support warmline to a community-based peer support organization1 other mental health crisis organization1 or licensed mental health professional1 as appropriate2 and 7ff7 assist an individual who is seeking other peer support services or a referral to mental health services1 but refrain from providing any healthcare recommendations2 and 7,v7 any other training course that the ,assistant ,secretary determines is appropriate2 and 7,e7 shall implement the best practices for operating peer support warmlines1 as identified by the study required under subsection 7d74 7#d7 ,selection ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 select grant recipients that are located in different geographic regions of the ,united ,states which1 collectively1 represent the entire ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 ensure that each grant recipient is responsible for maintaining a peer support warmline that serves the geographic region in which it is located4 7#e7 ,timeline for new centers of excellence ,any entity described in paragraph 7#b77;,a7 shall establish a center of excellence under the program not later than #f months after the date on which the entity receives a grant under subsection 7b74 7c7 ,technical assistance center ,not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall establish a technical assistance center to-- 7#a7 serve as the coordinating body between the centers of excellence2 7#b7 provide technical support to such centers2 7#c7 disseminate to such centers the best practices for operating peer support warmlines1 as identified by the study required under subsection 7d72 and 7#d7 enforce the implementation of such best practices in each center of excellence4 7d7 ,study and report 7#a7 ,in general ,concurrent with the establishment of the centers of excellence created under subsection 7b71 the ,assistant ,secretary shall enter into appropriate arrangements with the ,national ,academies under which the ,national ,academies agree to conduct a study over a #a-year period to identify the best practices for operating a peer support warmline4 7#b7 ,elements ,the study required under paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assessment of-- 7,a7 any peer support warmline program that existed before the date of enactment of this section1 as determined appropriate to include in the study by the ,national ,academies2 and 7,b7 each of the centers of excellence established pursuant to subsection 7b74 7#c7 ,report ,the agreement entered into under paragraph 7#a7 shall include a requirement that the ,national ,academies submit to ,congress and to the technical assistance center established under subsection 7c7 a report identifying the best practices for operating a peer support warmline4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #ee1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjba and #ej1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbb through #bjbd4 ,of the funds made available under the preceding sentence1 the ,assistant ,secretary shall reserve not less than #a1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year to carry out subsection 7c7 and not less than #a1ejj1jjj to carry out subsection 7d74 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,community-based peer support organization ,the term community-based peer support organization means an organization1 private enterprise1 or nonprofit organization1 that-- 7,a7 provides professional mental health peer support services to a community2 7,b7 has been operational for not less than #b years2 and 7,c7 has a staff composed of individuals with lived experiences of mental health challenges and recovery1 including qualified peer support specialists4 7#b7 ,peer support warmline ,the term peer support warmline means a telephone and chat support service that is provided by a peer to an individual who is seeking non-emergent mental health support1 but that is not a mental health service or a substitution for mental health services provided through a health care professional or in a health care setting4 7#c7 ,qualified peer support specialist ,the term qualified peer support specialist means an individual who-- 7,a7 is recovering or has recovered from a mental health or substance use condition2 and 7,b7 is certified to provide peer support services by a certification process that-- 7i7 is consistent with the ,national ,practice ,guidelines for ,peer ,supporters published by the ,national ,association of ,peer ,supporters and the ,core ,competencies for ,peer ,workers in ,behavioral ,health ,settings published by the ,administration on ,december #g1 #bjae2 and 7ii7 is a process that-- 7,i7 is a national process that the ,assistant ,secretary determines is appropriate2 or 7,,ii7 is established by a ,state in which such individual provides peer support services4 4