Bipartisan bill would require licenses for funeral professionals

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado lawmakers introduced a bill Monday to require a license to work as a funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist or natural reductionist. Colorado is the only state that doesn’t require funeral professionals to obtain a license.

This proposal comes after two major incidents within the last year involving funeral home operators improperly storing bodies in Colorado.

“Too many Colorado families have had to face the gruesome and unacceptable reality that their loved one’s remains had been mishandled, lost, improperly cared for, sold and completely disrespected by bad actors in our state,” said state Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco.

In October, investigators found nearly 200 decaying bodies inside the Return to Nature funeral home property in Penrose. The owners are each facing 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, among other charges.

“We need to do something now so this doesn’t happen to anybody else,” said Sheila Canfield-Jones, whose daughter had been improperly stored at the Return to Nature funeral home for four years. “This bill has the potential to bring accountability and to bring credibility to an industry that needs to be regulated.”

Last month, the owner of Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services in Littleton was arrested after investigators found the remains of at least 30 people inside his former home, as well as a woman’s body in a hearse parked out front.

“Things have reached a breaking point,” Roberts said.

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In order to be eligible for a license under this proposed bill, a person must have graduated from an accredited educational institution for that profession, passed the national board examination, completed an apprenticeship of at least one year and passed a criminal background check.

“We are here today to declare enough is enough in Colorado,” Roberts said.

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If passed, the license requirement for funeral home professions would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Those who have been in the businesses a long time can get a provisional license by showing they have worked at least 6,500 hours in the field, completed an apprenticeship at some point and can pass a criminal background check.

A related bill from the same sponsors would require regular inspections of funeral homes and crematories. The first committee hearing is scheduled for March 7.

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