Polis signs legislation to better regulate Colorado’s funeral home industry

DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis signed a package of bills Friday that tightens regulations on Colorado’s funeral home industry.

Senate Bill 24-173 requires funeral home directors, embalmers and other industry professionals to be licensed to practice in Colorado.

Funeral home directors must graduate from an approved school of mortuary science, pass a national board examination in the arts component, and complete an internship of one year or more. A person engaged in mortuary science must graduate from an approved mortuary science school, pass the national board examination in the arts and sciences component, and complete an internship of one year or more. The same rules apply to an embalmer, except that under the bill, the candidate must successfully pass the national board examination in the scientific component.

Persons performing cremation or natural reduction must be certified by the Cremation Association of North America, the International Association of Cemeteries, Cremations and Burials, or their successor organization.

More than forty years ago, the process of licensing providers in this state ended. The turning point for change came when 190 remains were found improperly stored at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado.

People currently working in the funeral industry can apply for a provisional license, which includes requirements such as 4,000 hours of work experience, working in the field for at least one year, a fingerprint check and more. The provisional license expires after three years unless an intervention or extension is granted. A person can also apply for a full license.

The director of the professions and professions department supervises the enforcement of these rules. Additionally, the director will have the power to discipline license holders, including license suspension and more.

Polis signs legislation to better regulate Colorado’s funeral home industry

On Friday, the governor also signed House Bill 24-1335, which requires routine inspections of funeral homes and crematoriums, including after hours. He also signed House Bill 24-1254, which expands regulations for non-transplantable tissue banks. It obliges them to keep specific records and prohibits the purchase of human remains.

State Rep. Brianna Titone sponsored SB24-173 and HB24-1135. She said the stories that have emerged in recent years about the failures of Colorado’s funeral home industry have touched her heart.

“There is a special place in hell for people like this who do things like this,” Titone said. “People don’t deserve something like this. They trust these people to do this job, and it’s just terrible.”

Titone stated that there is still much work to be done and that the laws will take several years to be fully implemented. However, he stated that this legislative package is a big step forward.

“We have a framework through which we can hold people accountable,” Titone said. “We can make sure that people who don’t do the right thing or don’t want to do the right thing go out of business in Colorado.”

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