34 USC § 50902 - Best practices and support

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t34/s50902"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "34 USC § 50902 - Best practices and support"
title_number: 34
title_name: "CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT"
section_number: "50902"
section_name: "Best practices and support"
chapter_number: 509
chapter_name: "CONFIDENTIALITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEER SUPPORT COUNSELING"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 117–60, § 3, Nov. 18, 2021, 135 Stat. 1472.)"
---


# § 50902. Best practices and support

**(a)** **Definitions** In this section:

**(1)** **First responder** section 10284 of this title

The term “first responder” has the meaning given the term “public safety officer” in .

**(2)** **First responder agency** The term “first responder agency” means a Federal, State, local, or Tribal agency that employs or otherwise engages the services of a first responder.

**(3)** **Peer support counseling program** The term “peer support counseling program” means a program provided by a first responder agency that provides counseling services from a peer support specialist to a first responder of the first responder agency.

**(4)** **Peer support participant** The term “peer support participant” means a first responder who receives counseling services from a peer support specialist.

**(5)** **Peer support specialist** The term “peer support specialist” means a first responder who—

**(A)** has received training in—

**(i)** peer support counseling; and

**(ii)** providing emotional and moral support to first responders who have been involved in or exposed to an emotionally traumatic experience in the course of the duties of those first responders; and

**(B)** is designated by a first responder agency to provide the services described in subparagraph (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 for first responder agencies that includes—

**(1)** advice on—

**(A)** establishing and operating peer support counseling programs; and

**(B)** training and certifying peer support specialists;

**(2)** a code of ethics for peer support specialists;

**(3)** recommendations for continuing education for peer support specialists;

**(4)** advice on disclosing to first responders any confidentiality rights of peer support participants; and

**(5)** information on—

**(A)** the different types of peer support counseling programs in use by first responder agencies;

**(B)** any differences in peer support counseling programs offered across categories of first responders; and

**(C)** the important role senior first responders play in supporting access to mental health resources.

**(c)** **Implementation** The Attorney General shall support and encourage the implementation of peer support counseling programs in first responder agencies by—

**(1)** making the report developed under subsection (b) publicly available on the website of the Department of Justice; and

**(2)** providing a list of peer support specialist training programs on the website of the Department of Justice.

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