HB 1296: Revision to Nurse & Nurse Aide Practice Act - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 3 edits · May 5, 2026

MINOR

This bill updates the Colorado Revised Statutes to clarify the timeline and penalties for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) failing to complete death certificates. It aligns the language for physicians and nurses regarding the 72-hour requirement and establishes that repeated or willful failure by APRNs constitutes grounds for professional discipline.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the death certificate completion requirement by explicitly including advanced practice registered nurses in the same disciplinary framework as physicians and physician assistants.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses must complete medical certification for a certificate of death within 72 hours of receiving notice.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a specific provision stating that repeated or willful failure by an advanced practice registered nurse to complete a death certification without reasonable cause is grounds for professional discipline.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting inconsistencies in the statute text, such as changing 'subsection (1)(b)(I)' to 'subsection (1)(b)(1)' to ensure accurate legal referencing.

Rerevised → Final Act · 3 edits · Apr 24, 2026

MINOR

This bill adds a specific disciplinary ground for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who repeatedly or willfully fail to complete death certificates on time. Previously, only physicians and physician assistants faced unprofessional conduct charges for this delay; now APRNs face formal discipline under the Nurse Practice Act if they miss the deadline without a valid reason.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of enforcement to include advanced practice registered nurses, whereas prior to this change, they were not explicitly subject to disciplinary action for this specific failure.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new ground for discipline specifically for advanced practice registered nurses who repeatedly or willfully fail to complete medical certifications for certificates of death within the required timeframe.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition in the Nurse Practice Act clarifying that failing to meet the deadline set in the death registration statute constitutes grounds for discipline.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that the 72-hour deadline for completing death certificates applies to physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses, with specific exceptions for those not yet registered in the electronic system before March 1, 2024.

Revised → Rerevised · 3 edits · Apr 7, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to include all amendments adopted in the Second House, updating the version status and sponsorship. A new Senate sponsor, Coleman, was added to the list of sponsors, while the previous sponsor Rich remains. The document also indicates the bill is now in its 3rd Reading Unamended stage in the Senate, dated April 7, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Added Senate sponsor Coleman to the list of sponsors.

Updated the version header from 'REVISED' to 'REREVISED' and adjusted the description of included amendments.

Added a header indicating the bill is in its 3rd Reading Unamended stage in the Senate, dated April 7, 2026.

Reengrossed → Revised · 3 edits · Apr 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill's title and summary were updated to clarify that it applies to both physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses, not just the latter. The version status was changed from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect that amendments were adopted on second reading in the second house. A committee name was slightly modified in the Senate section.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was clarified to explicitly include physician assistants alongside advanced practice registered nurses regarding discipline for failure to complete death certification forms.

SCOPE

The bill title and summary were updated to explicitly mention physician assistants as a covered profession, ensuring they are subject to the same discipline rules as advanced practice registered nurses.

TECHNICAL

The bill's version header was changed from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to accurately reflect the legislative stage where amendments were adopted on second reading in the second house.

The Senate committee name was slightly altered from 'State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs' to 'State, Veterans, & Military Affairs' to correct the ordering of topics.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 4 edits · Mar 9, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to add four new co-sponsors and update the summary date. Substantively, the bill adds a new ground for disciplining medical professionals who repeatedly or willfully fail to complete death certification forms, while removing a separate section that previously detailed the specific electronic system requirements for this task.

Scope change

The bill's scope of enforcement was expanded by adding a new disciplinary ground for non-compliance with death certification requirements, while the specific technical requirements for the electronic system were removed from the grounds for discipline.

ELIGIBILITY

Added four new co-sponsors to the House sponsorship list.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill summary date and reading status from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed'.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new ground for discipline for medical professionals who repeatedly or willfully fail to complete death certification without reasonable cause.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the specific requirement to use the electronic death registration system from the grounds for discipline.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill's status was updated from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed,' indicating it has passed its initial reading and includes all amendments adopted by the House. Several formatting and numbering inconsistencies were corrected throughout the text, and the footer page numbers were standardized to remove the 'HB26-' prefix. The substantive policy content regarding medical certification deadlines and effective dates remains unchanged.

Scope change

No change in the bill's scope or applicability; changes are limited to status updates and formatting corrections.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated to reflect that the text is now 'Engrossed' and includes all amendments adopted on second reading.

Page footer numbers were standardized by removing the 'HB26-' prefix for consistency.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the text layout and amendment markers.

Revision to Nurse & Nurse Aide Practice Act

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