Colorado lawmakers on Monday passed sweeping legislation to overhaul the state’s lax oversight of funeral homes following a series of horrifying incidents that included the sale of body parts, fake ashes and the discovery of 190 decomposed bodies. was approved.
The incident devastated hundreds of families already grieving and prompted lawmakers to pass the bill, which now goes to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ desk for signature.
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If signed into law, the law would give regulators far more enforcement powers over funeral homes and require regular inspections of their facilities, including after they are shuttered.
Officials walk outside a closed funeral home containing 115 bodies on Friday, October 6, 2023, in Penrose, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zarbowski)
This joins a second bill passed by both houses of Congress last week that, if signed, would require funeral directors and other roles in the industry to pass background checks, earn degrees in mortuary science, and It requires them to pass a national exam and an apprenticeship.
The bill’s passage comes after 190 decomposing bodies were discovered in an insect-infested facility at a funeral home about two hours south of Denver. The owners were arrested and face hundreds of charges, including abuse of a corpse.
In February, another funeral home in Colorado left a body in the back of a hearse for more than a year.
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Colorado’s funeral home regulations are among the weakest in the nation. Funeral home directors were not required to graduate from high school and were not required to submit to regular regulatory inspections, as in many other states. These bills would be dramatic updates and bring Colorado on par with other states.
