--- title: SB 371. Mental Health and Penal Institutions; grant program to create peer support programs in hospitals; establish collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb371 cite_as: SB 371, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb371 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb371.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb371/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71979 date: 2025-04-02 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb370.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb372.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb371.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 371 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-04-02 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Brian Strickland text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB371/2025 upstream_id: 2019455 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - mental health - substance use treatment - peer support programs - prisons and jails - hospital funding --- # SB 371. Mental Health and Penal Institutions; grant program to create peer support programs in hospitals; establish ## Text 25 LC 62 0214 Senate Bill 371 By: Senator Strickland of the 42nd A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Title 37 and Title 42 of the Official Code of Georgia, relating to mental health and1 penal institutions, respectively, so as to establish a grant pr ogram to create peer support2 programs in hospitals; to create peer support programs for individuals in penal institutions;3 to provide for quarterly and annual reports; to provide for consultation and cooperation with4 agencies, courts, organizations, and any entity which interacts with individuals who are5 incarcerated, on parole, or on probation to establish peer ment or programs; to provide for6 rules and regulations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other7 purposes.8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:9 SECTION 1.10 Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to mental health, is amended in11 Chapter 1, relating to governing and regulation of mental health, by revising paragraph (6)12 of Code Section 37-1-20, relating to obligations of the Department of Behavioral Health and13 Developmental Disabilities, as follows:14 "(6) Establish and support programs for the training of profess ional and technical15 personnel and certified peer specialists, as well as regional advisory councils and16 S. B. 371 - 1 - 25 LC 62 0214 community service boards. Certified peer specialists may be designated by area of focus,17 such as mental health or addictive disease, or by personnel, such as youth or parent, and18 shall include a designation for maternal mental health;"19 SECTION 2.20 Said title is further amended by revising Chapter 8, which is reserved, as follows:21 "CHAPTER 822 37-8-1.23 As used in this chapter, the term:24 (1) 'Addiction recovery support center' means a peer-led commu nity based program25 offering nonclinical support and activities for individuals and families of individuals who26 are in recovery from substance use disorders as defined by department policy.27 (2) 'Certification training body' means an entity approved by the department to provide28 training and testing for certified peer specialists in accordance with department policies.29 (3) 'Certified peer specialist' means an individual who is trained and certified to provide30 ongoing support to individuals a nd families of individuals who are receiving mental31 health or substance use recovery supports and services. A certified peer specialist works32 from the perspective of his or her lived experience to help build environments conducive33 to recovery. Certified peer specialists promote hope, personal responsibility,34 empowerment, education, and self-determination in the communities served. Such term35 includes the following certified peer specialist designations r ecognized by the36 department:37 (A) Certified Peer Specialist-Mental Health or CPS-MH;38 (B) Certified Peer Specialist-Addictive Disease or CPS-AD;39 (C) Certified Peer Specialist-Youth or CPS-Y;40 S. B. 371 - 2 - 25 LC 62 0214 (D) Certified Peer Specialist-Parent or CPS-P; and41 (E) Other ancillary peer credentials, such as forensic peer me ntors, which may be42 added by the department designated training entity.43 (4) 'Department' means the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental44 Disabilities and includes its duly authorized agents and designees.45 (5) 'Peer support program' means services rendered to individuals in need of support that46 are provided by a certified peer specialist. Such term include s, but is not limited to,47 individual peer recovery coaching, group peer check-ins, advocacy, mutual aid support48 groups, connection to treatment services, harm reduction servic es, connection to49 medication for substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder, housing support,50 transportation support, food insecurity support, acquiring identification, job placement,51 or connections to other resources within the community. Reserved.52 37-8-2.53 (a) Peer specialists working in department services are requir ed to be certified by the54 department.55 (b) Only the department shall certify individuals who complete training and testing56 provided by certification training bodies. In addition to the training standards set by the57 department, certified peer specialists shall be required to com plete continuing education58 on working in hospital settings and job readiness and workforce reentry.59 37-8-3.60 (a) In order to encourage and ensure the establishment of peer support programs for61 individuals presenting with substance use disorders in hospitals throughout this state, the62 department shall award grants, subject to appropriations from t he General Assembly, to63 hospitals or local addiction recovery support centers that seek to implement such programs64 S. B. 371 - 3 - 25 LC 62 0214 and that demonstrate a need for financial assistance to develop the necessary infrastructure,65 including personnel and equipment.66 (b) A hospital or addiction recovery support center seeking to implement a peer support67 program for individuals presenting to hospitals with substance use disorders pursuant to68 this Code section may apply to the department for a grant, in a manner and on a form69 required by the department, and shall provide such information as the department deems70 necessary to determine if the hospital or addiction recovery support center is eligible for71 the grant.72 (c) The department may provide grants to as many hospitals or addiction recovery support73 centers as it deems appropriate, subject to appropriations, tak ing into consideration74 adequate geographic diversity with respect to locations.75 (d) The department shall annually prepare and submit a report to the Governor, the76 President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons77 of the House Committee on Public and Community Health and the S enate Health and78 Human Services Committee for distribution to their committee me mbers indicating the79 total number of hospitals and addiction recovery support center s that applied for grants80 pursuant to this Code section, the number of applicants that we re determined by the81 department to be eligible for such grants, the total number of grants awarded, the name and82 address of each grantee hospital or addiction recovery support center, the amount of the83 award to each grantee hospital or addiction recovery support center, and the amount of each84 award disbursed to the grantee hospital or addiction recovery support center.85 37-8-4.86 The department shall contract on an annual basis with an independent organization, entity,87 or consultant possessing expertise in the practice of peer support programs led by certified88 peer specialists for individuals presenting with substance use disorders to serve as a89 technical assistance provider for the grantees. The department , in consultation with the90 S. B. 371 - 4 - 25 LC 62 0214 grantees, shall review the performance of such technical assistance provider annually and91 determine whether it is appropriate to seek a different technic al assistance provider or92 contract with the same technical assistance provider for the following year.93 37-8-5.94 (a) Prior to the commencement of funding for the peer support programs under Code95 Section 37-8-3, the department shall contract with an independent organization, entity, or96 consultant possessing expertise in the evaluation and quality improvement of peer support97 programs and policies to evaluate and make quality improvement recommendations on:98 (1) The effectiveness of such peer support programs in reducin g criminal justice99 interactions among vulnerable individuals with substance use disorders;100 (2) The cost-effectiveness of such peer support programs, incl uding the impact on101 spending within the pub lic behavioral health care system on the individuals receiving102 peer support and spending within the criminal justice system on the arrest, incarceration,103 and prosecution of such individuals;104 (3) Differences in implementation of such peer support programs among the grantees and105 the impact of such differences on program outcomes;106 (4) The impact of such peer support programs on the behavioral health care system at107 large, including any unintended impacts; and108 (5) The perceptions of such peer support programs and their ef fectiveness among109 participating individuals, behavioral health care providers, and program staff.110 (b) As a condition for participation in the grant program, the department shall require each111 grantee to agree to share program information data with the contracted organization, entity,112 or consultant as the department may require and to make reasonable accommodation for113 such organization, entity, or consultant to have access to the grantee's site and the114 individuals served. The department shall further ensure that the contracted organization,115 S. B. 371 - 5 - 25 LC 62 0214 entity, or consultant is able to perform its functions consiste nt with all state and federal116 restrictions on the privacy of personal health information.117 (c) In contracting with the organization, entity, or consultant, the department shall require118 such organization, entity, or consultant to submit a quarterly report on the effectiveness of119 the peer support programs for individuals presenting with behavioral health conditions to120 the Governor, the chairpersons of the House Committee on Public and Community Health121 and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the Office of Health Strategy122 and Coordination.123 37-8-6.124 (a) The department shall adopt and prescribe rules and regulations necessary or appropriate125 to administer and carry out the grant program provided for in this chapter.126 (b) The department shall adopt and prescribe rules and regulat i o n s n e c e s s a r y o r127 appropriate to establish a forensic peer mentor training program as provided in Article 7128 of Chapter 3 of Title 42."129 SECTION 3.130 Title 42 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to penal institutions, is amended131 in Chapter 3, relating to community supervision and transition, by adding a new article to132 read as follows:133 "ARTICLE 7134 42-3-120.135 (a) The Department of Corrections and DCS shall establish forensic peer mentor programs136 in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail.137 S. B. 371 - 6 - 25 LC 62 0214 (b) Such forensic peer mentor programs shall be led by individuals who are certified peer138 specialists pursuant to Chapter 8 of Title 37.139 (c) The Department of Corrections and DCS shall adopt rules and regulations necessary140 to establish such programs in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail.141 42-3-121.142 The Department of Corrections and DCS shall consult and coordin ate with agencies,143 departments, organizations, courts, and any entity which interacts with individuals who are144 incarcerated, on parole, or on probation to establish forensic peer mentor programs led by145 certified peer specialists, including, but not limited to, individuals in probation programs,146 accountability courts, day reporting centers, recovery housing or residences, and other147 mental health or drug diversion programs."148 SECTION 4.149 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.150 S. B. 371 - 7 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate bill would create a state grant program to fund peer support programs for people with substance use disorders in hospitals, and require forensic peer mentor programs in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail. ### Plain-language summary Georgia currently has no dedicated grant program to help hospitals and community addiction centers set up peer support services for people with substance use disorders, and no requirement that jails and prisons run peer mentor programs led by people with lived experience of recovery. This bill would change both. It directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to award grants, subject to money the General Assembly appropriates, to hospitals or local addiction recovery support centers that want to start peer support programs staffed by certified peer specialists. The department must report annually to state leaders on who applied and who got funded, and must hire an outside evaluator to study the programs' effectiveness and cost impact, with quarterly reports on results. Separately, the bill requires the Department of Corrections and the Department of Community Supervision to set up forensic peer mentor programs, led by certified peer specialists, in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail, and to coordinate with courts, probation programs, and other agencies to expand these peer mentor services. ### What it does - Creates a new grant program letting hospitals and local addiction recovery support centers apply for state funding to build peer support programs, subject to legislative appropriations. - Defines 'certified peer specialist' and related credentials (mental health, addictive disease, youth, parent, and forensic peer mentor) that the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities must recognize and train. - Requires all peer specialists working in department services to be certified, and adds required continuing education on hospital settings and job readiness. - Requires the department to contract annually with an outside technical assistance provider and an independent evaluator to assess and improve the peer support grant program. - Requires the Department of Corrections and the Department of Community Supervision to establish forensic peer mentor programs, led by certified peer specialists, in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail. - Requires those two departments to coordinate with courts, probation programs, and other agencies to expand forensic peer mentor programs to people on parole or probation. ### Who it affects Hospitals and local addiction recovery support centers seeking grant funding, certified peer specialists and trainees, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Community Supervision, and people who are incarcerated, on parole, on probation, or receiving substance use treatment. ### Why it matters People with substance use disorders in hospitals and people cycling through jails, prisons, probation, or parole could gain access to peer mentors with personal recovery experience. Hospitals and recovery centers could receive new state funding, while corrections agencies face a new statewide mandate to build these programs. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 37-1-20 to require the department to support training programs for certified peer specialists, including a new maternal mental health designation. - Section 2 creates a new Chapter 8 in Title 37 defining terms like 'certified peer specialist' and 'addiction recovery support center' and requiring department certification for peer specialists. - O.C.G.A. § 37-8-3 establishes the hospital and addiction recovery support center grant program, funded subject to legislative appropriations, considering geographic diversity among grantees. - O.C.G.A. § 37-8-3(d) requires an annual report to the Governor, legislative leaders, and relevant committees on grant applicants, awards, and amounts disbursed. - O.C.G.A. § 37-8-5 requires an independent evaluator to assess program effectiveness, cost impact, and outcomes before funding begins, with quarterly reports to state officials. - Section 3 adds Article 7 to Chapter 3 of Title 42, requiring the Department of Corrections and Department of Community Supervision to create forensic peer mentor programs in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail. - O.C.G.A. § 42-3-121 requires coordination with courts, probation programs, accountability courts, and other agencies to extend forensic peer mentor programs to people on probation or parole. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-04-02) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-04-02) - Sponsors: Brian Strickland - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71979 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb371.md?full=1