Governor Jared Polis has signed three bills into law that will align Colorado with other states in regulating the funeral home and mortuary industry. This legislative action follows a series of disturbing incidents in recent years, including the illegal sale of body parts, the discovery of hundreds of decomposing bodies, and the distribution of fake ashes to grieving families.
The new regulations include:
- Licensing and Background Checks: Funeral home directors will now be required to obtain a license and pass a background check.
- Routine Inspections: State regulators will conduct routine inspections of funeral home facilities, a power the state has not previously held.
- Nontransplant Tissue Bank Regulations: Additional regulations will be implemented for nontransplant tissue banks.
The Colorado Funeral Directors Association, the industry group representing funeral homes, collaborated with lawmakers on these bills and acknowledged that it was long overdue to bring Colorado’s regulations in line with national standards.
