April 24, 2008
HB 1123 Clears Senate BLT Committee

The Senate Business Labor and Technology Committee meeting was unexpectedly moved up to Wednesday, April 23. The good news is that HB 1123 and amendment L.012 passed the Senate committee by vote of 5-2.  The self-funded bill is scheduled for Senate Appropriations committee on Friday, April 25.

April 23, 2008
CFDA and DORA Discuss Compromise

CFDA representatives met with DORA staff on April 21 and April 22 to explain more about the practice of funeral service and discuss possibilities for a compromise amendment.  

CFDA expressed several key areas of concern including:

·  Need for registration, qualifications, standards of practice, and accountability for individual funeral service practitioners

·  Limits of liability and disciplinary action for employee manager vs. funeral home owner

·  Necessity for random inspections of funeral establishments

·  Advisory group of funeral service professionals to assist with rulemaking and complaint process

·  Retain Cremation section as proposed in the original bill

·  Retain the Unlawful Acts additions as proposed in the original bill

Citing that the Sunrise Review did not outline enough documented cases of harm to consumers, DORA stated its primary objective is to provide a mechanism for consumers to report complaints and held firm on the following positions:

1. Allow for one registration per funeral establishment – either a facility manager OR a generic “funeral service practitioner” – who is held accountable for all operations of the establishment.
2. The Department will not consider any licenses or registrations for individual funeral service practitioners.
3. The Department will not define the scope of practice for Funeral Directors, Embalmers or Cremationists. They suggest that a “funeral service practitioner” is a generic category without recognition of the unique duties of Funeral Directors, Embalmers or Cremationists.
4. The Department will not recognize experience, education or basic training qualifications for funeral service practitioners.

CFDA representatives met with DORA executive director Rico Munn and several DORA staff members yesterday to discuss possibilities for a compromise amendment to HB08-1123.

CFDA expressed concerns about DORA's amendment that holds a Manager responsible for the operations of the establishment without defining standards of practice and accountability by individual funeral service practitioners.

CFDA representatives testified on Wednesday before the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee about House Bill 08-1123.

Senator Jennifer Veiga introduced a “strike below” amendment that effectively ELIMINATES ALL STANDARDS OF PRACTICE AND PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY that CFDA has long advocated.

March 31, 2008
Mortuary Science Bill moves on to Senate

House Bill 08-1123 was heard this morning by the full House of Representatives for its Third and final reading. The bill was adopted by majority vote of 41-24 after discussion both in favor and in opposition to the bill.

The legislation will move on to the State Senate and will likely be scheduled for first reading in the coming week.

March 28, 2008

CFDA Legislative Update

House Bill 08-1123 was heard this morning by the full House of Representatives for its Second Reading. The bill was adopted by majority vote after discussion both in favor and in opposition to the bill. An amendment was also adopted that will require funeral establishments to disclose to consumers other funeral businesses under common control or ownership and therefore allow consumers to make an informed choice.

February 5, 2008
Funeral Service Legislation Takes Step Forward

The Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor Committee voted this week to amend House Bill 1123 with changes proposed by CFDA and the bill was referred to the House Appropriations Committee after a 7-4 decision.

This legislation will promote consumer confidence by requiring registration and minimum standards of competence for funeral service practitioners, and offers an added level of protection through facility registration to ensure compliance with recognized industry practices, operational guidelines, and basic health and safety standards.

The CFDA supports registration for all funeral establishments to offer better consumer protection through compliance with recognized industry standards, operational guidelines, and health and safety standards.

January 17, 2008
CFDA January newsletter available online

     Download the January 2008 issue of CFDA News in PDF

January 3, 2008
CFDA Prepares for Next Legislative Session

The CFDA Legislative Task Force is preparing a new funeral service bill to be introduced in the Colorado General Assembly which convenes January 9.

Rep. Debbie Stafford has agreed to sponsor another funeral service bill and has met with CFDA representatives to discuss regulatory options.

Visit www.cofda.org to see ongoing updates regarding funeral service legislation.