---
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"
date: "2026-07-12"
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:
  - (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/34/50102.md?p=4), 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)](#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 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)](#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.

## Source credit

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