# 119-hr-2741: PEER Support Act

119-hr-2741, PEER Support Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2741
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2741
- Congress: 119
- Title: PEER Support Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-08
- Sponsor: Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 25
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-11

## Summary

**This bill would **professionalize the peer support specialist workforce** by defining who peer support specialists are and setting standards for their services.** It would also create an Office of Recovery at SAMHSA and require research on criminal background check barriers for these workers. - Families and caregivers: The bill would explicitly recognize people with lived experience as parents or caregivers as peer support specialists, creating a clearer path to certification for those who support families navigating mental health and substance use systems. - Peer support workers: It would set national service standards tied to the National Association of Peer Supporters' guidelines and SAMHSA core competencies, and would fund training, certification, supervision guidance, professional development, retention efforts, and career-path recommendations for the workforce. - States, tribes, and programs: The bill would direct OMB to add a peer support specialist occupational category to the Standard Occupational Classification by Jan. 1, 2026. It would also require HHS, with the Attorney General, to report within one year after enactment on criminal background check laws and recommend ways to reduce certification barriers, and to post that report on SAMHSA's website.

## Cosponsors (25)

- Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3] (D-KS), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37] (D-TX), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-06-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2025-07-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2025-08-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2025-10-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2025-11-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2025-11-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2025-12-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5] (D-OR), 2025-12-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11] (D-VA), 2025-12-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2025-12-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] (D-TX), 2026-01-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-01-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3] (D-MA), 2026-01-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY), 2026-06-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- National standards for peer support services: benefit, medium. If enacted, peer support services would need to follow national practice guidelines and SAMHSA core skills. Training programs and employers would use these standards. People getting peer support could expect more consistent, high‑quality help across programs and places.
- New office to expand recovery services: benefit, medium. If enacted, a new Office of Recovery would be set up inside the federal mental health and substance use agency. It would start when the bill becomes law and take over the current recovery office’s staff and duties. The office would guide best practices, training, and data, and help states, local ar…
- Peer support gets its own job category: benefit, low. The government would add a job category for peer support specialists in federal labor statistics by January 1, 2026. This would make it easier to count these jobs and plan training and hiring. It would not by itself set pay or benefits.
- Certification rules for peer support workers: mixed, low. If you want to work as a peer support specialist, you would need lived experience with recovery or as a caregiver. You would also need to be certified under your State’s process or one the federal health department approves. This could mean training time and costs for workers, but it would also set…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2550: Protect America's Workforce Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-2741 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2741)

## Related
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-18)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-2550: Protect America's Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2550)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2741 (as of 2026-06-11).