The act implements the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies (department) concerning the mortuary science code (code), as the recommendations are specified in the department's sunset review of the registration of funeral establishments and crematories, with amendments, as follows: Continues registration of funeral establishments and crematories and the title protection of mortuary science practitioners, funeral directors, embalmers, and cremationists until 2029; Requires the inspection of funeral homes and crematories on a routine basis, for a period of time after the business has ceased operations, and upon applying for a registration for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the code during this time; Repeals the limitation on the authority of the director of the division of professions and occupations (director) to inspect funeral homes and crematories only during business hours; Expands the director's authority to promulgate rules to include any rules necessary to administer the code; Repeals the code's stakeholder engagement provisions for rule-making to allow the "State Administrative Procedure Act" to control stakeholder engagement; Adds the failure to respond to a complaint within the appropriate time to the grounds for discipline; Repeals the requirement that a letter of admonition be sent by certified mail; Authorizes the director to suspend the registration of a person that fails to comply with a condition of a stipulation or order until the person complies with the condition; Replaces the term "applicant" with the term "person" in the title-protection provisions for funeral directors, embalmers, and cremationists; and Removes gendered language from the code. The act authorizes discipline to be imposed on a registration applicant or holder for the acts of a person acting on behalf of the applicant or holder and who is an officer, a director, a member, a partner, or an owner and holds an interest in the applicant or holder. The interest must be at least 10% if the applicant or holder is publicly traded. The act also requires a funeral establishments to: Have a written contract with all subcontractors or agents and update the language required in contracts for funeral services, respectively; Maintain a sanitary preparation room; Refrain from taking custody of more human remains than the funeral establishment has capacity to refrigerate; and Obtain and maintain professional liability insurance with liability limits of at least $1,000,000. The act requires a cremationist to remove all of the recoverable residue of the cremation process from the crematory and place the residue in a separate container so that the residue does not commingle with the cremated remains of other individuals. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $339,196 is appropriated to the department from the division of professions and occupations cash fund to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 24, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act requires an individual to obtain a license to practice as a funeral director, a mortuary science practitioner, an embalmer, a cremationist, or a natural reductionist (mortuary science professional). The director of the division of professions and occupations (director) is required to promulgate rules for such licensing. To be licensed, an individual must submit an application, pay an application fee, obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check, not have been subject to discipline in another state or convicted of a disqualifying crime, and meet the following qualifications: For a funeral director, the applicant must have graduated from an accredited mortuary science school, have successfully passed the arts section of a national board examination, and have received workplace learning experience of one year or longer; For a mortuary science practitioner, the applicant must have graduated from an accredited mortuary science school, have successfully passed both the arts and science sections of a national board examination, and have received workplace learning experience of one year or longer; For an embalmer, the applicant must have graduated from an accredited mortuary science school, have successfully passed the science section of a national board examination, and have received workplace learning experience of one year or longer; and For a cremationist or natural reductionist, the applicant must have received official certification as a crematory operator from the Cremation Association of North America, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, the National Funeral Directors Association, or a successor organization. An applicant may file for a waiver of the educational requirements and obtain full licensure upon completion of an examination. A current practitioner may apply for a provisional license if the practitioner does not meet the new requirements. To obtain a provisional license, an applicant must have obtained at least 4,000 hours of work experience, have received workplace learning experience of one year or longer, and pass a fingerprint-based criminal history record check. An individual who holds a provisional license without being subject to discipline may obtain full licensure by satisfying certain criteria. A provisional license expires after 3 years unless the director approves a reinstatement or extension of the provisional license. The act establishes administrative procedures for renewing a license. To renew a license, a license holder must obtain 6 hours of continuing education including: One hour covering the applicable law; One hour covering applicable ethics; and One hour covering public health requirements. The act updates existing law concerning title protection to require a person to hold the appropriate license in order to use the title "funeral director", "mortuary science practitioner", "embalmer", "cremationist", or "natural reductionist". The act establishes grounds for disciplining an applicant or license holder and authorizes the director to take disciplinary actions against an applicant or a license holder. The director may also seek an injunction to enforce the act. An employer of a mortuary science professional must report to the director any termination, disciplinary action, or resignation if any of these actions were taken for conduct that violates the act. The director may bring an action for the enforcement of an order of the director. The act repeals the regulation of the practice of mortuary science professionals, effective September 1, 2031. Before the repeal, the regulation will undergo a sunset review and report. The act appropriates $121,166 to the department of regulatory agencies from the division of professions and occupations cash fund to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 24, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act changes the effective date of the creation of the new twenty-third judicial district from January 7, 2025, to January 14, 2025, to coincide with the date that the district attorney of that district will be sworn in. To facilitate the creation of the new judicial district, the act authorizes the operations and employees of the eighteenth judicial district to be divided into 2 distinct units. APPROVED by Governor May 24, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 24, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires a gamete agency, gamete bank, or fertility clinic (clinic) to obtain a license from the department of public health and environment (department) on or after January 1, 2025, before the clinic may match or provide gametes or embryos to recipients in Colorado. The act extends this deadline to July 1, 2025. The act requires that a clinic located outside of Colorado shall not match intended recipients located in Colorado with donors, or provide gametes to a recipient parent or parents located in Colorado or to the recipient parent's medical provider located in Colorado, from a donor who does not agree to the disclosure of the donor's identity. The act adds a requirement that applicants for an original and renewal license must submit documentation to demonstrate compliance with licensing requirements. Subject to available appropriations, the department may, as it deems necessary, perform on-site inspections or complaint investigations of clinics located outside of Colorado. The act extends the deadline for rule-making regarding clinics from July 1, 2024, to January 1, 2025. The act requires that, beginning in fiscal year 2025-26, the general assembly annually appropriate $125,000 to the gamete agency, gamete bank, or fertility clinic fund. APPROVED by Governor May 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 22, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act specifies that an autopsy report prepared in connection with the death of a minor is confidential and may be disclosed by the county coroner to another person or entity only in accordance with certain exceptions. The report is not a public record for purposes of the Colorado open records act. Under the act, upon the request of an entity or individual entitled to the report, the coroner or the coroner's designee shall provide a copy of the autopsy report prepared in connection with the death of a minor to: A parent or legal guardian of the deceased; A law enforcement or criminal justice agency that is investigating the death or prosecuting a criminal violation arising out of the death; A requesting party in a civil case; Counsel for the defendant or the respondent for discovery purposes in a criminal case only if discovery has not otherwise been provided and in accordance with any protective order; A state, local, or regional child fatality prevention review team; The Colorado department of public health and environment as necessary for the collection of data in accordance with the Colorado violent death reporting system and the Colorado unintentional drug overdose reporting system; The Colorado child fatality review team; A county department of human or social services; The division of youth services in the Colorado department of human services; A health-care facility where the deceased had received treatment; A community clinic or a treating hospital for inclusion within the medical records of the deceased; An eye bank, organ procurement organization, or tissue bank; A local or regional domestic violence fatality review team; The Colorado department of human services in connection with the investigation of a fatality that has occurred within any facility licensed under the "Child Care Licensing Act"; The office of the child protection ombudsman; A health-care provider that had previously established a patient-provider relationship with the deceased; The Colorado maternal mortality review committee for the purpose of conducting public health death reviews of deceased individuals who are pregnant or within one year postpartum; The Colorado department of public health and environment and county public health agencies for the purpose of data collection related to the department's authority to investigate and control the causes of epidemic and communicable diseases and related board of health rules; The Colorado department of public health and environment's health facility and emergency medical services division for the purpose of health facilities and emergency medical services investigations; or The public if the death occurs while the minor is in the custody or under the supervision of the state or a local government. Upon written request by any individual, the coroner shall not release a copy of the autopsy report and instead shall release the cause, time, place, and manner of the minor's death, and the name, age, gender, and race or ethnicity of the deceased minor. This information must be released within 3 days of the request or 3 days of receiving the information, whichever is later. Under the act, any person may petition a district court to allow the person access to an autopsy report prepared in connection with the death of a minor. The petitioner shall serve process on the coroner and a members of the deceased minor's next of kin pursuant to the Colorado rules of civil procedure. The district court shall hold a hearing including the petitioner, coroner, and a member of the deceased minor's next of kin, if available. The hearing must be conducted under the simplified process in the Colorado rules of civil procedure. The district court shall provide access if: Public disclosure of the report substantially outweighs the harm to the privacy interests of the deceased and members of the family of the deceased; and The information sought by the petitioner is not otherwise publicly available. A coroner is required to provide the name of the deceased minor and the name and address of a member of the deceased minor's next of kin to the district court, which shall disclose that information to the petitioner under a protective order for the purpose of service of process. APPROVED by Governor May 22, 2024 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In current law, both a lodging facility and an entertainment facility are licensed as a lodging and entertainment facility licensee. The acts converts the licenses of lodging facilities to lodging facility licenses and the licenses of entertainment facilities to entertainment facility licenses. Additionally, the act creates a new catering license and an alcohol beverage shipper license. The act allows a brewery, a limited winery, and a distillery to manufacture alcohol beverages at up to 2 noncontiguous locations and sets an annual fee for such operations. Current law limits the amount of alcohol beverages certain retailers can purchase from retail liquor stores, liquor-licensed drugstores, and fermented malt beverage and wine retailers to $2,000 each year. The act increases the cap to $7,000 and requires the state licensing authority to annually adjust the cap consistent with inflation. For events where customers may consume alcohol beverages on the premises of an off-premises retailer, the act: Allows an off-premises retailer to conduct tastings; Allows tastings for all authorized retailers to begin at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m.; Allows retail liquor stores to hold educational classes; and Allows a distiller that operates a sales room to purchase and use common alcohol modifiers to mix with its spirituous liquors to produce cocktails. Under current law, liquor licenses are valid for a one-year period. The act allows certain qualifying licensees to apply for a 2-year license. The act also requires the state licensing authority to study the feasibility of adopting an online application and renewal system. The act removes the requirement that a local licensing authority schedule a public hearing on an application for a new retail liquor license. The act changes the requirement for a festival permittee to notify the state and local licensing authorities of the location and dates the licensee plans to hold multiple festivals from 30 business days to 30 calendar days before each festival. Regarding wholesalers, the act allows wholesalers of vinous or spirituous liquors to obtain an importer's license and allows all wholesalers to hold trade show events. The act allows a retail liquor store going out of business to sell its inventory to another retail liquor store. The act specifies that a liquor-licensed drugstore's use of an electronic funds transfer is not an extension of credit. The act allows an arts licensee to place limited advertising of the availability of alcohol beverages for sale on the licensed premises while an artistic or cultural production or performance is taking place. The act allows alcohol beverage sales on Christmas. APPROVED by Governor May 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the purple star school program (program) in the department of education (department). The purpose of the program is to designate schools of a school district, district charter schools, institute charter schools, or boards of cooperative services (public schools) that provide services and supports to military-connected students and their families to help mitigate the academic and social-emotional challenges they may face as a result of frequent moves, new schools, parental deployments, and different social circles and experiences. The department is required to create: An application for a public school to apply for a purple star school designation; A rubric to measure whether a public school qualifies for a purple star school designation; and A timeline for a public school to apply for and to renew the purple star school designation. The department shall designate a public school as a purple star school if the public school applies and qualifies for the designation. To qualify as a purple star school, a public school shall: Designate a staff member as a military liaison; Create and maintain on the public school's website an accessible web page that includes resources for military-connected students and their families; Establish and maintain a student-led transition program that assists military-connected students who are relocating to the public school; Offer professional development for educators and staff on issues related to military-connected students; and Offer at least one of the following initiatives: A public school resolution published on the public school's website showing support for military-connected students and their families; Celebrations in April and November to recognize military children and military families, with associated events hosted by the public school; A partnership with a local military installation that facilitates opportunities for military members to volunteer on the public school's campus, speak at a public school assembly, or host a field trip; or Student-driven clubs and groups that show community-family engagement for military-connected students and their families. During the first week of April each year, the governor, or the governor's designee, shall recognize each purple star school and present the purple star schools with a certificate. A purple star school designation is valid for 3 years. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $33,247 to the department to implement the program. APPROVED by Governor May 18, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act enacts the "Uniform Special Deposits Act" as drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, which addresses deposits at a bank where the identity of the person entitled to payment is not determined until the occurrence of a contingency identified at the time that the deposit is created. Concerns have arisen about such "special deposits" that may undermine the use of special deposits as a useful vehicle to hold funds that may be paid in the future to one or more persons depending on the resolution of one or more specified contingencies. The act addresses these concerns by reducing legal uncertainties related to the attributes that make a deposit "special" and the rights of the parties interested in the special deposit, their respective creditors, and the bank holding the special deposit prior to the resolution of the contingency. APPROVED by Governor May 17, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Based on the findings and recommendations of the committee on legal services, the act extends all state agency rules that were adopted or amended on or after November 1, 2022, and before November 1, 2023, with the exception of certain rules of the following agencies, as specifically listed in the act: The rule of the state board of education concerning rules for the development, expansion, implementation, and management of the regional service areas; The rule of the medical services board concerning inpatient payment rates for opioid antagonist; The rules of the executive director of the department of revenue concerning the wildfire mitigation measures income tax subtraction; and The rules of the executive director of the department of revenue concerning the wildfire mitigation measures income tax credit. Those specified rules will expire as scheduled in the "State Administrative Procedure Act" on May 15, 2024, on the grounds that the rules conflict with statute. APPROVED by Governor May 10, 2024 EFFECTIVE May 10, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, it is illegal for a person to possess a firearm if the person was convicted of or adjudicated for certain felonies. The bill adds felonies for drug manufacture, dispensation, sale, and distribution; drug possession with intent to manufacture, dispense, sell, and distribute; and first and second degree motor vehicle theft, to the list of convictions that prohibit a person from possessing a firearm.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)