Stafford Again Calls for Licensure of Funeral Homes

Rep. Debbie Stafford, D-Aurora, signaled today that she believes the General Assembly should try again in 2009 to impose license requirements on the state's funeral homes.

Stafford, who has pushed similar legislation in recent years, thinks consumers are being bilked by too many "shady" funeral practices.

“I am appalled that Colorado is the only state that does not license Funeral Directors and Cremationists," Stafford said. "Would-be regulators continue to throw Coloradans under the hearse by denying that we have a serious problem and with virtually no one looking over the shoulders of those who serve our families at the time of death.”

“My sources tell me that some funeral homes have not seen a state investigator for over 40 years. Consumers need protection from the shady practices of some mortuaries."

Stafford said she has heard of incidents in which crematoriums have had "unrefrigerated bodies left out for days."

State regulators say there is no licensure law to give them the authority to regulate, but have also opposed bills requiring funeral directors and cremationists to be trained and licensed.

The Attorney General's office filed charges this week against “The Neptune Society,” and Arvada funeral operation, for failure to properly place funds received from over 5,000 pre-need sales into a trust as required by Colorado law. Neptune faces $50,000 in fines and five counts including a violation of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.

House Passes Mortician Licensure Bill

If a bill given final passage in the House Monday survives its next test in the Senate, Colorado may soon become the last of the fifty states to require morticians to be licensed.

HB 1123 would return the state's law on the licensure of people who prepare dead human bodies for burial or cremation to it's pre-1982 condition.

In 1977 the legislature passed a bill terminating funeral director licensing requirements, but ultimately delayed the end of the state's licensing program through 1981.

The measure would also establish standards of practice for cremation and require registration with the department of regulatory agencies of funeral directors, embalmers, cremationists and interns.

It also imposes training requirements for these categories of funeral industry workers and requires DORA to track and monitor funeral homes, crematories, embalmers, funeral arrangement services and entities that transport dead human bodies.

The final House vote on the bill was marked by a strong partisan divide. Reps. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, and Victor Mitchell, R-Castle Pines Village, were the only GOP members of the chamber to support HB 1123. Democrats Dorothy Butcher of Pueblo, Joel Judd of Denver and Paul Weissman of Louisville joined all of the other House Republicans in voting "no."

The General Assembly had passed a bill re-instituting mortician licensure in 2006, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. Bill Owens.

HB 1123 is sponsored by Rep. Debbie Stafford, D-Aurora. It now moves on to the Senate.

Romanoff Announces New Committee Assignments

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) announced new assignments to committees Sunday, including giving a convert from the GOP an important vice-chair slot.

Rep. Debbie Stafford (D-Aurora), who switched parties after last year's session, will be the new vice-chair of the Judiciary committee. She replaces Rep. Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora), who is replacing former Rep. Mike Cerbo as chair of the House majority caucus.

Rep. Stafford will also continue to sit on the Health and Human Services committee.

Romanoff also gave committee assignments to the chamber's two Democratic newcomers, Christine Scanlan and Mark Ferrandino.

Ferrandino, who replaced Cerbo, will sit on the Business Affairs and Labor committee and the State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee.

Scanlan, who replaced Sen. Dan Gibbs when he took the seat formerly occupied by Joan Fitz-Gerald, will sit on Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources committee and the Transportation and Energy committee.

Romanoff also announced that Rep. Cheri Jahn (D-Wheat Ridge) will replace Cerbo on the Judiciary committee and that Rep. Gwyn Green (D-Golden) will replace Gibbs as vice-chair of the Transportation and Energy committee.