---
kind: "section"
citation: "34 U.S.C. § 50902"
title: "34"
title_heading: "Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
number: "50902"
heading: "Best practices and support"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/34/50902"
units:
  - "Subtitle V — Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Personnel"
  - "Chapter 509 — Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support Counseling"
---

# §50902. Best practices and support

- (a) **Definitions—** In [this section](/usc/34/50105.md):
  - (1) **First responder—** The term “first responder” has the meaning given the term “public safety officer” in [section 10284 of this title](/usc/34/10284.md).
  - (2) **First responder agency—** The term “first responder agency” means a Federal, [State](/usc/34/10105.md), local, or Tribal agency that employs or otherwise engages the services of a [first responder](#a-1).
  - (3) **Peer support counseling program—** The term “peer support counseling program” means a [program](/usc/34/60701.md?p=2) provided by a [first responder agency](#a-2) that provides counseling services from a [peer support specialist](#a-5) to a [first responder](#a-1) of the [first responder agency](#a-2).
  - (4) **Peer support participant—** The term “peer support participant” means a [first responder](#a-1) who receives counseling services from a [peer support specialist](#a-5).
  - (5) **Peer support specialist—** The term “peer support specialist” means a [first responder](#a-1) who—
    - (A) has received training in—
      - (i) peer support counseling; and
      - (ii) providing emotional and moral support to [first responders](#a-1) who have been involved in or exposed to an emotionally traumatic experience in the course of the duties of those [first responders](#a-1); and
    - (B) is designated by a [first responder agency](#a-2) to provide the services described in [subparagraph (A)](#a-5-A).
- (b) **Report on best practices—** Not later than 2 years after November 18, 2021, the Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall develop a report on best practices and professional standards for [peer support counseling programs](#a-3) for [first responder agencies](#a-2) that includes—
  - (1) advice on—
    - (A) establishing and operating [peer support counseling programs](#a-3); and
    - (B) training and certifying [peer support specialists](#a-5);
  - (2) a code of ethics for [peer support specialists](#a-5);
  - (3) recommendations for continuing education for [peer support specialists](#a-5);
  - (4) advice on disclosing to [first responders](#a-1) any confidentiality rights of [peer support participants](#a-4); and
  - (5) information on—
    - (A) the different types of [peer support counseling programs](#a-3) in use by [first responder agencies](#a-2);
    - (B) any differences in [peer support counseling programs](#a-3) offered across categories of [first responders](#a-1); and
    - (C) the important role senior [first responders](#a-1) play in supporting access to mental health resources.
- (c) **Implementation—** The Attorney General shall support and encourage the implementation of [peer support counseling programs](#a-3) in [first responder agencies](#a-2) by—
  - (1) making the report developed under [subsection (b)](#b) publicly available on the website of the Department of Justice; and
  - (2) providing a list of [peer support specialist](#a-5) training [programs](/usc/34/60701.md?p=2) on the website of the Department of Justice.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–60, § 3, Nov. 18, 2021, 135 Stat. 1472.)