PEER Mentors Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9041 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9041

    To amend section 431 of the Social Security Act to include peer 
 mentoring service programs in the provision of certain services, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 15, 2024

  Mr. Evans (for himself, Mr. Bacon, and Ms. DelBene) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend section 431 of the Social Security Act to include peer 
 mentoring service programs in the provision of certain services, 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 ``Parents Engaging with Experienced 
Resilient Mentors Act of 2024'' or the ``PEER Mentors Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF PEER MENTORING SERVICES.

    (a) Family Preservation Services.--Section 431(a)(1) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(G) service programs designed to assist a 
                caregiver in a family at risk or in crisis, including 
                peer-to-peer mentoring services providing the caregiver 
                with a mentor who has direct lived experience as a 
                caregiver of a child who remained with the family, or 
                returned to the family after removal, with the 
                assistance of family preservation services to address a 
                similar risk or crisis.''.
    (b) Family Support Services.--Section 431(a)(2)(B)(iii) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(2)(B)(iii)) is amended by inserting ``, such as 
through peer-to-peer mentoring of current foster parents by currently 
or formerly licensed foster parents with direct lived experience'' 
before the period.
    (c) Family Reunification Services.--Section 431(a)(7)(B)(vi) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(7)(B)(vi)) is amended by inserting ``, 
including with peer mentors who have lived experience as parents or 
licensed foster parents with demonstrated success in developing 
constructive relationships between foster parents and birth parents of 
a child and in the reunification of a child with the birth parents of 
the child'' before the period.
    (d) Adoption Promotion and Support Services.--Section 431(a)(8) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(8)) is amended by inserting ``mentoring 
services'' after ``including''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) In General.--The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 
on the 1st day of the 1st fiscal year that begins after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and shall apply to payments made under subpart 2 
of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act for calendar quarters 
beginning on or after such date.
    (b) Delay Permitted if State Legislation Is Required.--If the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that State 
legislation (other than legislation appropriating funds) is required in 
order for any State plan approved under subpart 2 of part B of title IV 
of the Social Security Act to meet the additional requirements imposed 
by the amendments made by this Act, the plan shall not be regarded as 
failing to meet any of the additional requirements before the 1st day 
of the 1st calendar quarter beginning after the 1st regular session of 
the State legislature that begins after the 1st day of the 1st fiscal 
year that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act. For 
purposes of the preceding sentence, if the State has a 2-year 
legislative session, each year of the session is deemed to be a 
separate regular session of the State legislature.
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