I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8016 
To establish a centralized network of peer support warmlines, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 11, 2020 
Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL (for herself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. JUDY CHU of 
California, Ms. PORTER, Mr. TRONE, Ms. SHERRILL, and Mr. 
LOWENTHAL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish a centralized network of peer support warmlines, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Peer Assisted Relief 
Through Networks of Empathetic Resources and Supports 
Act of 2020’’ or the ‘‘PARTNERS Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. NATIONAL PEER SUPPORT WARMLINE PROGRAM. 
Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–31 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 520N. NATIONAL PEER SUPPORT WARMLINE PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary shall es-
tablish and maintain a centralized network of peer support 
warmlines to— 
‘‘(1) provide accessible resources to individuals 
seeking mental health support by— 
‘‘(A) establishing and maintaining a single, 
toll-free telephone number through which indi-
viduals throughout the United States may ac-
cess such peer support warmlines; and 
‘‘(B) coordinating the operation of the tele-
phone number established under subparagraph 
(A) with the National Suicide Prevention Life-
line; and 
‘‘(2) establish best practices for the operation of 
peer support warmlines. 
‘‘(b) CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—In carrying out the 
program under this section, not later than 6 months 
after the date of enactment of this section, the As-
sistant Secretary shall award a grant to, or enter 
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into a cooperative agreement with, not less than 4 
and not more than 5 entities. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
USES.—An entity receiving a 
grant or entering into a cooperative agreement 
under this section shall— 
‘‘(A) 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 co-
operative agreement, establish and operate a 
new center of excellence to operate such peer 
support warmline; or 
‘‘(B) for any such entity operating a peer 
support warmline that meets the criteria speci-
fied in paragraph (3) as of the date on which 
such entity receives a grant or enters into a co-
operative agreement, establish a center of excel-
lence to support and operate such warmline 
under the program established under subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(3) CONDITIONS.—As a condition on the re-
ceipt of a grant under this section, the grant recipi-
ent— 
‘‘(A) may not use grant funds to remu-
nerate an individual who operates a peer sup-
port warmline for the grant recipient unless 
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such individual is an employee of such grant re-
cipient; 
‘‘(B) shall ensure that employees operating 
the peer support warmline are qualified peer 
support specialists and experts in peer support 
services, including the provision of such services 
using telehealth; 
‘‘(C) shall consider hiring employees who 
speak a language other than English, including 
a language relevant to the region in which such 
grant recipient is located, to operate the peer 
support warmline; 
‘‘(D) shall require that employees oper-
ating the peer support warmline complete— 
‘‘(i) 2 training courses, consisting of 
at least a 10-hour introductory training 
course and, within 2 years of employment, 
a 40-hour advanced training course, that 
cover topics including— 
‘‘(I) peer support values and 
practices; 
‘‘(II) active listening skills; 
‘‘(III) structured sharing of per-
sonal or shared experiences; and 
‘‘(IV) how to— 
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‘‘(aa) connect with an indi-
vidual using a peer support 
warmline with compassion; 
‘‘(bb) avoid giving advice or 
providing 
psychotherapy-like 
services to an individual using a 
peer support warmline; 
‘‘(cc) identify when an indi-
vidual using a peer support 
warmline is experiencing an event 
constituting a suicide emergency 
and refer such individual to the 
National Suicide Prevention Life-
line; 
‘‘(dd) collaborate with other 
qualified peer support specialists 
when an individual using a peer 
support warmline experiences a 
mental health or suicide crisis; 
‘‘(ee) refer an individual 
using a peer support warmline to 
a community-based peer support 
organization, other mental health 
crisis organization, or licensed 
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mental health professional, as ap-
propriate; and 
‘‘(ff) assist an individual 
who is seeking other peer support 
services or a referral to mental 
health services, but refrain from 
providing any healthcare rec-
ommendations; and 
‘‘(V) any other training course 
that the Assistant Secretary deter-
mines is appropriate; and 
‘‘(E) shall implement the best practices for 
operating peer support warmlines, as identified 
by the study required under subsection (d). 
‘‘(4) SELECTION.—In awarding grants under 
this section, the Assistant Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) select grant recipients that are lo-
cated in different geographic regions of the 
United States which, collectively, represent the 
entire United States; and 
‘‘(B) ensure that each grant recipient is re-
sponsible for maintaining a peer support 
warmline that serves the geographic region in 
which it is located. 
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‘‘(5) TIMELINE FOR NEW CENTERS OF EXCEL-
LENCE.—Any entity described in paragraph (2)(A) 
shall establish a center of excellence under the pro-
gram not later than 6 months after the date on 
which the entity receives a grant under subsection 
(b). 
‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER.—Not later 
than 30 days after the date of enactment of this section, 
the Assistant Secretary shall establish a technical assist-
ance center to— 
‘‘(1) serve as the coordinating body between the 
centers of excellence; 
‘‘(2) provide technical support to such centers; 
‘‘(3) disseminate to such centers the best prac-
tices for operating peer support warmlines, as identi-
fied by the study required under subsection (d); and 
‘‘(4) enforce the implementation of such best 
practices in each center of excellence. 
‘‘(d) STUDY AND REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Concurrent with the estab-
lishment of the centers of excellence created under 
subsection (b), the Assistant Secretary shall enter 
into appropriate arrangements with the National 
Academies under which the National Academies 
agree to conduct a study over a 1-year period to 
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identify the best practices for operating a peer sup-
port warmline. 
‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—The study required under 
paragraph (1) shall include an assessment of— 
‘‘(A) any peer support warmline program 
that existed before the date of enactment of this 
section, as determined appropriate to include in 
the study by the National Academies; and 
‘‘(B) each of the centers of excellence es-
tablished pursuant to subsection (b). 
‘‘(3) REPORT.—The agreement entered into 
under paragraph (1) shall include a requirement 
that the National Academies submit to Congress and 
to the technical assistance center established under 
subsection (c) a report identifying the best practices 
for operating a peer support warmline. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$55,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 and $50,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2024. Of the funds 
made available under the preceding sentence, the Assist-
ant Secretary shall reserve not less than $1,000,000 for 
each fiscal year to carry out subsection (c) and not less 
than $1,500,000 to carry out subsection (d). 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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‘‘(1) COMMUNITY-BASED PEER SUPPORT ORGA-
NIZATION.—The term ‘community-based peer sup-
port organization’ means an organization, private 
enterprise, or nonprofit organization, that— 
‘‘(A) provides professional mental health 
peer support services to a community; 
‘‘(B) has been operational for not less than 
2 years; and 
‘‘(C) has a staff composed of individuals 
with lived experiences of mental health chal-
lenges and recovery, including qualified peer 
support specialists. 
‘‘(2) PEER
SUPPORT
WARMLINE.—The term 
‘peer support warmline’ means a telephone and chat 
support service that is provided by a peer to an indi-
vidual who is seeking non-emergent mental health 
support, 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 setting. 
‘‘(3) QUALIFIED PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST.— 
The term ‘qualified peer support specialist’ means 
an individual who— 
‘‘(A) is recovering or has recovered from a 
mental health or substance use condition; and 
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‘‘(B) is certified to provide peer support 
services by a certification process that— 
‘‘(i) is consistent with the National 
Practice Guidelines for Peer Supporters 
published by the National Association of 
Peer Supporters and the Core Com-
petencies for Peer Workers in Behavioral 
Health Settings published by the Adminis-
tration on December 7, 2015; and 
‘‘(ii) is a process that— 
‘‘(I) is a national process that 
the Assistant Secretary determines is 
appropriate; or 
‘‘(II) is established by a State in 
which such individual provides peer 
support services.’’. 
Æ 
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