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”.
Parents Engaging with Experienced Resilient Mentors Act of 2024
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.
Sec. 2 Inclusion of peer mentoring services
Family preservation services— Section 431(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)(1)) is amended—
in subparagraph (E), by striking “and” after the semicolon;
in subparagraph (F), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and
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.”
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.
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.
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
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.
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.