Title: PARTNERS Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Peer Assisted Relief Through Networks of Empathetic Resources and Supports Act of 2020 or the PARTNERS Act
This bill directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to establish a network of peer support warmlines. Warmlines are telephone or text-based services, typically staffed by individuals who have experienced mental health conditions, that provide early intervention services, referrals, and other resources to those who are seeking mental health support but are not in crisis.
To carry out this program, SAMHSA must award grants or cooperative agreements to establish centers of excellence to operate warmlines through a single, toll-free number in coordination with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. SAMHSA must also ensure appropriate geographic distribution of the centers. As a condition of receiving funds, the centers must, among other requirements, ensure that the individuals operating the warmlines are qualified peer support specialists and that they complete relevant training courses.
In addition, SAMHSA must establish within 30 days a technical assistance center to disseminate, and enforce the use of, best practices for the operation of warmlines and must provide other support to the centers of excellence. SAMHSA must also enter an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study best practices for warmlines.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8016 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






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 Representatives 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''.

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 PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary shall establish 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 individuals 
                throughout the United States may access such peer 
                support warmlines; and
                    ``(B) coordinating the operation of the telephone 
                number established under subparagraph (A) with the 
                National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; 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 Assistant Secretary shall award 
        a grant to, or enter 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 cooperative 
                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 specified in paragraph 
                (3) as of the date on which such entity receives a 
                grant or enters into a cooperative agreement, establish 
                a center of excellence to support and operate such 
                warmline under the program established under subsection 
                (a).
            ``(3) Conditions.--As a condition on the receipt of a grant 
        under this section, the grant recipient--
                    ``(A) 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 recipient;
                    ``(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 operating 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 
                                personal or shared experiences; and
                                    ``(IV) how to--
                                            ``(aa) connect with an 
                                        individual 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 
                                        individual using a peer support 
                                        warmline is experiencing an 
                                        event constituting a suicide 
                                        emergency and refer such 
                                        individual to the National 
                                        Suicide Prevention Lifeline;
                                            ``(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 
                                        mental health professional, as 
                                        appropriate; 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 recommendations; and
                                    ``(V) any other training course 
                                that the Assistant Secretary determines 
                                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 located in 
                different geographic regions of the United States 
                which, collectively, represent the entire United 
                States; and
                    ``(B) ensure that each grant recipient is 
                responsible for maintaining a peer support warmline 
                that serves the geographic region in which it is 
                located.
            ``(5) Timeline for new centers of excellence.--Any entity 
        described in paragraph (2)(A) shall establish a center of 
        excellence under the program 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 assistance 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 practices for 
        operating peer support warmlines, as identified 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 establishment 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 identify the 
        best practices for operating a peer support 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 established 
                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 Assistant 
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:
            ``(1) Community-based peer support organization.--The term 
        `community-based peer support 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 challenges 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 individual 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
                    ``(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 Competencies for Peer 
                        Workers in Behavioral Health Settings published 
                        by the Administration 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.''.
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