Sponsors (26)
The bill aims to expand and standardize peer support for people with mental health and substance use conditions—improving access, workforce recognition, and data-driven program planning—while imposing new administrative, compliance, funding, and implementation costs and some risks to service continuity and safety.
People with mental health or substance use disorders will gain broader access to standardized, certified peer support and coordinated recovery services through federal guidance, potential state policy changes, and a new federal office.
Peer support specialists and other behavioral health workers will receive formal occupational recognition, clearer career pathways, training, and professional development that can improve recruitment, retention, and service quality.
States, tribes, territories, and providers will have clearer, evidence-based standards and alignment with SAMHSA competencies and National Practice Guidelines, promoting more consistent quality of peer support services.
State governments, employers, hospitals, small providers, and grassroots programs may incur administrative and compliance costs to establish or adapt certification systems, training programs, payroll/HR classifications, and supervision to meet new federal guidance and standards.
Some current peer workers without formal certification could temporarily lose eligibility to provide services or face disrupted roles, which may interrupt service continuity for people who rely on peer support.
Creating and staffing a new federal office, plus expanded reporting and data duties, will increase federal administrative costs and workload for agencies (HHS, DOJ, SAMHSA, OMB), with fiscal impacts borne by taxpayers and resource strains on federal employees.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a federal definition and occupational code for peer support specialists, creates a SAMHSA Office of Recovery, and requires a federal report on criminal background checks affecting certification.
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Andrea Salinas · Last progress April 8, 2025
Creates a federal definition and occupational recognition for peer support specialists, establishes a new Office of Recovery inside SAMHSA to coordinate and expand recovery support services, and directs federal agencies to study and report on criminal background check practices that affect peer specialist certification. It also requires the Office of Management and Budget to add a new Standard Occupational Classification code for peer support specialists by January 1, 2026. The bill focuses on workforce development, technical assistance, best-practice dissemination, and removing barriers to certification for people with lived experience in mental health or substance use recovery. It sets deadlines for the SOC update and for a background-check report that HHS must publish and distribute to States and CMS within one year of enactment.