Sponsors (25)
The bill standardizes and elevates peer support services—improving access, workforce development, and program planning—but does so at the cost of added federal and state administrative burdens, compliance costs, possible service disruptions during certification transitions, and modest new federal spending.
People with mental health or substance use disorders will gain wider access to standardized, certified peer support services across states, improving recovery supports and service availability.
Healthcare workers who serve as peer support specialists will gain formal occupational recognition and improved data tracking, helping recruitment, workforce planning, and visibility for hiring and funding decisions.
States, providers, and programs will have clearer, evidence-aligned standards (National Practice Guidelines and SAMHSA competencies) and guidance, promoting more consistent care quality for people receiving peer supports.
State governments, employers, and smaller/community providers will face administrative, training, certification, and HR/payroll costs to implement new standards and classifications.
Current peer workers who lack the newly required formal certifications could lose eligibility to provide services temporarily, disrupting continuity of care for patients who rely on them.
If background-check requirements are loosened or applied inconsistently as states adjust rules, there could be increased public safety or workplace risk concerns.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Creates a SAMHSA Office of Recovery, defines and professionalizes peer support specialists, adds them to the SOC, and requires an HHS/DOJ report on certification background checks.
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Andrea Salinas · Last progress April 8, 2025
Creates a new Office of Recovery inside SAMHSA to lead and coordinate peer support services, defines "peer support specialist," and requires steps to professionalize and support that workforce. It also mandates that OMB add peer support specialists to the Standard Occupational Classification by January 1, 2026 and directs HHS (with the Attorney General) to publish a report within one year on criminal background check rules that can block peer specialist certification, with recommendations to reduce barriers. The bill focuses on workforce development, training, data, technical assistance, and reducing regulatory barriers that affect people with lived experience who serve as peer support specialists and the people they help (those in recovery and families). It does not appear to appropriate new funding in the text provided but transfers an existing Office of Recovery into the new office structure on enactment.