Concerning certified peer support specialists.

The committee assignment changed from 'Health Care & Wellness' to 'Appropriations', indicating the bill now focuses on funding and budgetary allocation rather than just service delivery standards.

A specific requirement was removed that mandated victim services agencies (supporting domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking victims) must bill health carriers for peer support services provided to victims.

The mandatory training requirement for victim services agencies to bill for peer support services was removed, meaning these agencies no longer need to hire specialists with specific domestic violence/trafficking training to bill for those services.

The term 'peer specialist' was updated to 'peer support specialist' throughout the text to align with current terminology used in other sections of the bill.

The deadline for entities to provide technical assistance to integrate peer support specialists was moved from October 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025.

Added a new category allowing tribes, tribal health providers, and urban Indian health programs to bill for peer support services provided by tribal elders.

Removed a section that previously required peer support specialists working in victim services agencies to hold specific endorsements for domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking.

Added new requirements for the authority to develop specialized training courses for peer crisis responders and to administer oral and written examinations for certification.

Updated the definition of 'peer crisis responder' to specifically include those responding to 988 crisis hotline calls and 911 system dispatches.