World News
Colorado lawmakers approve regulations for funeral homes
DENVER — Colorado lawmakers passed a sweeping bill Monday to overhaul the state’s lax oversight of funeral homes after a series of gruesome incidents, including body parts sold, fake ashes and the discovery of 190 rotting bodies.
The cases have devastated hundreds of already grieving families and emboldened lawmakers to pass the bill, which now heads to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ desk for his signature.
If signed, the bill would give regulators much greater enforcement power over funeral homes and require routine inspections of facilities, including after one shutters.
It joins a second bill passed by both chambers last week that, if signed, would require funeral home directors and other industry positions to pass background checks, obtain a degree in mortuary sciences, and pass a national exam and an internship.
The passage of the legislation comes after 190 decomposing bodies were found in an insect-infested facility at a funeral home about two hours south of Denver. The owners have been arrested and are facing hundreds of charges, including abuse of a corpse.
At another Colorado funeral home in February, a body was left in the back of a hearse for more than a year.
Colorado’s funeral home regulations are among the weakest in the country. Funeral directors are not required to complete high school and supervisors were not required to conduct routine inspections, as is the case in many other states. These bills would be a dramatic update, putting Colorado on par with the rest of the country.
Bedayn is a staff member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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