Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3789-E is enacted to read:

§3789-E.__Peer support and advocacy demonstration project

1.__Project established.__The department shall contract with a nonprofit entity or entities within the State to establish a peer support and advocacy demonstration project, referred to__ in this section as "the project," to provide information and advocacy services for participants in the ASPIRE-TANF program, as established in section 3781-A, and the Parents as Scholars Program, as established in section 3790, subsection 1, in 4 different regions of the State.

2.__Project design.__The contracting entities under subsection 1 are responsible for selecting, training and providing supervisory and administrative support for ASPIRE- TANF program or Parents as Scholars Program participants who volunteer to serve as peer support advocates.__The time spent by a peer support advocate in activities pursuant to the project may count either toward fulfilling the participation requirements for the ASPIRE-TANF program under section 3788, subsections 10 and 11 or toward fulfilling the program requirements for the Parents as Scholars Program under section 3790, subsection 3, whichever applies to the peer support advocate.__The time spent by a peer support advocate in activities pursuant to the program is considered a field training activity for at least 26 weeks of the period during which they serve as peer support advocates.

3.__Project criteria.__The project must meet the following criteria:

A.__The department must provide notice to ASPIRE-TANF program and Parents as Scholars Program participants in the regions selected for the project that peer support, information and advocacy services are available to them and ensure that the project is designed to provide, to the maximum extent feasible, access to those services;

B.__Peer support advocates must receive adequate training to provide the services available under this project and must maintain the confidentiality of ASPIRE-TANF program and Parents as Scholars Program participants with whom they are working;

C.__Peer support advocates are authorized to work directly with ASPIRE-TANF program and Parents as Scholars Program workers and supervisors to help resolve problems identified by participants from whom they have received a request for assistance;