HB112 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Phillip PettusRepresentative

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Russell BedsoleTommy Hanes

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Runoff elections, four weeks after municipal and special primary elections, period revised, Secs. 11-46-6, 11-46-21, 11-46-55, 17-13-3 am'd.

Summary

HB112 would authorize the Alabama Fire College to certify peer support members who provide emotional and moral support to emergency responders, with specific training, designation, and confidentiality rules.

What This Bill Does

The bill defines who counts as a certified peer support member and who is considered an emergency responder. It sets training requirements from recognized agencies, requires written designation by agency leaders to provide peer support, and limits one certified peer supporter per peer support event. It also establishes confidentiality protections for peer support communications and outlines exceptions where those communications are not privileged; it specifies which agencies grant certifications for different roles and sets an effective date after passage.

Who It Affects

• Emergency responders (police, fire, EMS, dispatchers, chaplains) who may receive or provide peer support and who must meet training and certification requirements to be certified.
• Agency leaders (sheriffs, police chiefs, fire chiefs, or other heads of public safety agencies) who designate individuals to provide peer support in writing and may limit one certified peer supporter per event.
• Certification bodies (Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency for law enforcement officers, emergency dispatchers, and chaplains; Alabama Fire College for firefighters, wildland firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and chaplains) responsible for issuing certifications.
• Spouses of emergency responders, who may be recipients of peer support services under the program.

Key Provisions

• Defines Certified Peer Support Member, Emergency Responder, and Peer Support Event.
• Requires certification by meeting training requirements in critical stress management or peer support from recognized agencies (e.g., ICISF, NOVA, Red Cross, Regional Counterdrug Training Academy).
• Requires written designation by a sheriff, police/fire chief, or other head of a public safety agency to provide peer support services, with only one certified peer support person assigned per event.
• Specifies which roles are certified by which agency: law enforcement officers, dispatchers, and chaplains by the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency; firefighters, wildland firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and chaplains by the Alabama Fire College.
• Declares communications to a certified peer support member as privileged, with certain exceptions and the ability for the responder to waive privilege.
• Outlines exceptions where communications are not privileged (e.g., if the peer support member was involved in the incident, or if disclosure is needed to prevent harm or reveal a crime, or as determined not privileged by Rule 503(d) of the Alabama Rules of Evidence).
• Effective date: the act takes effect on the first day of the third month after its passage and approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Emergency Responders