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House panel advances bill to license peer support specialists to expand behavioral‑health workforce
Summary
Sen. Stein's SB 426 would transfer credentialing duties to the Addictive Disorder Regulatory Authority, establish peer support specialists as a recognized, supervised role and create a pathway to higher credentials; the committee adopted an amendment and reported the bill favorable with amendments.
Senate Bill 426 (Stein) was presented May 12 to modernize Louisiana’s addictive disorder regulatory authority (ADRA), establish peer support specialists (PSS) in state statute and create a clearer career pathway from peer support to licensed counseling roles.
Sen. Stein said the measure creates a single credentialing authority for addiction counseling, prevention and peer support and authorizes peer support specialists — non‑clinical workers with lived experience who must be supervised — as part of a workforce pipeline. "We don't have enough people in the pipeline to meet the need, especially for addiction and recovery services," Stein said.
Chris Mack Morris, chief operating officer of Sanctuary Louisiana, testified in support and described PSS integration into treatment teams and the potential for improved outcomes. "We believe that this bill strengthens Louisiana behavioral health system, modernizes our workforce, and it improves...public safety and ensures that credentialing by professionals meet the consistent high quality of standards," Morris said.
Advocacy organizations and trainers told the committee they provide existing trainings and supported a structured transition; Jordan Blacher of the Louisiana Association of Substance Abuse Counselors and Trainers urged lawmakers to "move favorably" to help ensure consistent standards across providers. The committee adopted substantive transition amendments (including a 12‑month transitional certification period) and reported the bill favorable with amendments.
