Colorado New Legislation

HB25-1077: Backflow Prevention

Programs Affected: 

• Plumbing

Bill Summary: 

On March 28, 2025, HB25-1077: Backflow Prevention was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis. This bill exempts individuals who are in the business of inspecting, testing, or repairing backflow prevention devices from plumbing licensure requirements and  keeps the licensure requirements for individuals engaged in the installation or removal of the devices.  Individuals who install or replace a backflow prevention device on a standalone fire suppression system remain exempted from the licensure requirements.

Further, on and after July 1, 2025, the bill requires a licensed plumber or a licensed plumber with a cross-connection control technician certification and a certified cross-connection control technician who installs, tests, inspects, repairs or reinstalls a backflow prevention device to affix a tag on the backflow prevention device that contains certain information about the licensed plumber, the licensed plumber with a cross-connection control technician certification, or the certified cross-connection control technician as applicable, and the service that was provided. 
 

HB25-1087: Confidentiality Requirements for Mental Health Support

Programs Affected: 

• All Healthcare Professions

On May 31, 2025, Governor Polis signed HB25-1087: Confidentiality Requirements for Mental Health Support into law. The bill prohibits a peer support team member from disclosing the confidential communications made by the recipient of peer support during a peer support interaction with specified conditions. Furthermore, the bill expands an exception allowing specified mental health professionals to disclose confidential information when a recipient makes a threat against an individual or themself.

HB25-1217: Funeral Services and Consumer Protections

Programs Affected: 

• Funeral and Mortuary Science Services

On April 18, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB25-1217: Funeral Services and Consumer Protections into law. This bill changes the date by which an applicant for an individual provisional license must demonstrate 4,000 hours of work experience from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027. Additionally, this bill clarifies in statute that a preneed contract does not include a transportation protection agreement, and adds a definition for “transportation protection agreement”. Furthermore, the bill adds the act of a funeral director committing theft of money that a client has paid to the funeral director in exchange for funeral services as a deceptive trade practice.

HB25-1222: Preserving Access to Rural Pharmacies

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

On May 27, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB25-1222: Preserving Access to Rural Pharmacies into law. This bill specifies that a prescription drug outlet that is a rural independent pharmacy does not need to be under the direct charge of a pharmacist if the initial interpretation and final evaluation of the prescription is done by a Colorado licensed pharmacist in person or remotely. The bill also requires pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse independent rural pharmacies no less than the national average drug acquisition cost and a dispensing fee and establishes additional notification requirements for pharmacy benefit managers when subjecting a rural independent pharmacy to a recoupment of funds or a penalty of more than one thousand dollars as the result of an audit.

HB25-1270: Patient’s Right to Try Individual Treatments

Programs Affected: 

• All Healthcare Professions

On May 19, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB25-1270: Patient’s Right to Try Individual Treatments into law. This bill asserts that a licensing board shall not revoke, fail to renew, suspend, or take any action against a health-care provider’s license solely on the provider’s recommendation to a patient regarding access to or treatment with an individualized investigational drug, biological product, or device, as long as the recommendation is consistent with medical standards of care. Additionally, action against a health-care provider’s Medicare certification based solely on their recommendation that a patient has access to the items listed above, is prohibited. 

HB25-1284: Regulating Apprentices in Licensed Trades

Programs Affected: 

• Electrical
• Plumbing

On June 3, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB25-1284, Regulating Apprentices in Licensed Trades into law. This bill prohibits electrical and plumbing contractors from registering an apprentice with the board if the apprentice is participating in an apprenticeship program registered with the CDLE  unless the apprentice is enrolled in an apprenticeship program that is training the apprentice for an occupation officially recognized by the United States Department of Labor as an electrical or plumbing occupation. If the Board determines that an apprentice is not in compliance with the provisions of this bill, the Board will notify the electrical or plumbing contractor that registered the apprentice with the Board. If the Board cannot verify that an apprentice is eligible to be registered as an electrical or plumbing apprentice within sixty days after notice of noncompliance, the Board will remove the apprentice’s registration with the Board.

HB25-1285: Veterinary Workforce Requirements

Programs Affected: 

• Veterinary

On May 30, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB25-1285: Veterinary Workforce Requirements into law. This bill makes amendments to requirements for the veterinary professional associate as established in Proposition 129. Effective on January 1, 2026, any individual who intends to practice as a VPA must be registered by the board. The bill also  clarifies that a licensed veterinarian may delegate the practice of veterinary medicine to a veterinary professional associate if the licensed veterinarian has signed an agreement with the veterinary professional associate; if the supervising licensed veterinary is located at the same veterinary premises as the veterinary professional associate; and given that the licensed veterinarian is supervising the veterinary professional associate under either immediate supervision or direct supervision when the VPA is practicing veterinary medicine. A VPA may practice veterinary medicine under indirect supervision if the VPA meets the requisite clinical benchmarks. Additionally, the bill gives the board authority to adopt rules to approve a nationally recognized veterinary professional associate credentialing organization, while also requiring continuing education for veterinary professional associates. A supervisory agreement for a licensed veterinarian to supervise a VPA should not be a condition of a veterinarian's continued employment under any corporation, employer, director, or officer. However, each VPA shall enter into an agreement with every licensed veterinarian that will supervise the VPA in the VPA’s performance of veterinary medicine. A VPA must clearly identify themselves to the client, both visually and verbally, as a VPA. More information is available here.

HB25-1306: Alphabetizing Plumbing Profession Definitions

Programs Affected: 

• Plumbing

On May 16, 2025, Governor Polis signed HB25-1306: Alphabetizing Plumbing Profession Definitions into law. This bill reorganizes the plumbing profession definitions into alphabetical order in the plumbing practice act. 

HB25-1309: Protect Access to Gender Affirming Care

Programs Affected: 

• Medical
• Nursing
• Pharmacy

On May 23, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB25-1309: Protect Access to Gender Affirming Care into law. The bill exempts prescriptions for testosterone from the tracking requirements of the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) and blocks archived records from view. Furthermore, this bill mandates that health insurance carriers provide coverage for medically necessary gender-affirming care defined in §10-16-104(3), C.R.S. as determined by the physical or behavioral healthcare provider who prescribes the gender-affirming care.  The bill also adds that the Health Insurance Affordability board may seek gifts, grants, and donations to cover the costs of ensuring compliance in the individual market with the federal Hyde amendment (or similar amendment), and to cover the costs of ensuring that Coloradans have access to legally protected health care activities. 

HB25-1326: Updating Safety Net Provider Terminology

Programs Affected: 

• All Mental Health Professions

On May 30, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB25-1326, Updating Safety Net Provider Terminology, into law. This bill removes the references to the definitions of “community mental health center” and “community mental health clinic” in statute that were previously repealed in HB22-1278.

SB25-084: Medicaid Access to Parenteral Nutrition

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

On May 28, 2025, Governor Polis signed SB25-084: Medicaid Access to Parenteral Nutrition into law. The bill defines an “infusion pharmacy” in Title 25.5 (Health Care Policy and Financing) as a prescription drug outlet that prepares and dispenses a solution that includes parenteral nutrition for direct administration into a patient’s bloodstream. The bill mandates that the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing create specific professional dispensing fees for the preparation and dispensing of parenteral nutrition to encourage an adequate level of market participation among infusion pharmacies. 

SB25-129: Legally Protected Health Care Activity Protections

Programs Affected: 

• Medical
• Nursing
• Pharmacy

On April 24, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed SB25-129: Legally Protected Health Care Activity Protections into law. This bill changes labeling requirements of mifepristone, misoprostol, or generic alternatives to those prescriptions. At the practitioner’s request, the label for the  aforementioned prescriptions may include the name of the prescribing health care practice instead of the name of the practitioner, provided the practitioner includes the name of the health-care practice on the paper or electronic form of the prescription. Finally, the bill makes changes that prohibit a public entity, or a person or entity licensed by the state, from providing information or data for the purpose of assisting an investigation or proceeding initiated by another state OR federal government (to the extent constitutionally permissible), that seeks to impose criminal or civil liability or professional sanction upon a person or entity for engaging in a legally protected health care activity. 

SB25-146: Fingerprint Based Background Checks

Programs Affected: 

• Audiology
• Dental
• Funeral and Mortuary Science Services
• Medical
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech-Language Pathology

On June 2, 2026, Gov. Jared Polis signed SB25-146: Fingerprint Based Background Checks into law. This bill allows a regulator to require an application for licensure, certification, or registration to submit a fingerprint based criminal history record check for the following professions: 

• Audiologists
• Certified midwives
• Cremationists
• Dental hygienists
• Dentists
• Embalmers
• Funeral Directors
• Licensed Professional Counselors
• Mortuary Science Practitioners
• Natural Reductionists
• Occupational Therapists
• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Physician Assistants
• Social Workers
• Speech-Language Pathologists.

Applicants are required to pay any costs associated with the history record check. The applicant shall have their fingerprints taken by a local law enforcement agency, or a third party approved by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. If the results of the criminal history record check reveal a record of arrest without a disposition, the Department shall require the applicant to submit a name-based judicial record check.

Note that requirements for these professions were already in place. This bill aligns language with federal law. 
 

SB25-152: Health-Care Practitioner Identification Requirements

Programs Affected: 

• All Healthcare Professions

On May 5, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed SB25-152: Health-Care Practitioner Identification Requirements into law. Beginning June 1, 2026, this bill requires advertisements for healthcare-related services that identify a healthcare practitioner by name must also identify the type of state-issued license, certificate, or registration held by the practitioner. Additionally, under this bill, a healthcare practitioner providing services in a general hospital licensed or certified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is required to display a name tag or other worn display that includes the type of state-issued license, certificate, or registration held by the practitioner. The name tag must be visible and apparent during patient encounters. Furthermore, a healthcare practitioner must verbally communicate to a patient the type of state-issued license, certificate, or registration they hold when establishing a practitioner-patient relationship.

SB25-165: Licensure of Electricians

Programs Affected: 

• Electrical

On June 3, 2025, Governor Polis signed SB25-165: Licensure of Electricians into law. This bill makes several changes to the electrical practice act, as it pertains to licensure requirements for journeyman electricians, residential wireman, and photovoltaic installers.

Specifically, the bill states that an applicant for a journeyman electrician’s license shall provide evidence that they have completed eight thousand hours over a period of at least four years’ apprenticeship in the electrical trade, or eight thousand hours over a period of four years’ practical experience in wiring for, installing, and repairing electrical apparatus and equipment for electric light, heat, and power; two thousand hours over a period of at least two years of the applicant’s experience required has been in commercial, industrial, or substantially similar work; and during the last eight years of the applicant’s training, apprenticeship, or practical experiencing in wiring, completion of at least two hundred eighty-eight hours of training in safety, the national electrical code and its applications, and any other training required by the board. Under this new law, the Board may grant an application credit toward the training requirements for training that occurred before the last eight years of the applicant’s training, apprenticeship, or practical experience under certain conditions.

Similarly, an applicant for a residential wireman’s license shall provide written evidence that the applicant has at least two years of accredited training or four thousand hours over a period of at least two years of practical experience in wiring one-, two-, three-, and four-family dwellings.

Practical experience for applicants can be earned by: 

• Two thousand hours as a NABCEP PV installation professional working for or working as a photovoltaic installer;
• Up to two thousand hours of practical experience working under the supervision of a NABCEP PV installation professional;
• Up to four thousand hours as a CABCEP PV installation professional.

A contractor that is operating as of September 1, 2025, and that performs work as a photovoltaic installer with at least one NABCEP-certified employee shall register as a photovoltaic installer with the Board on or before December 31, 2026, except that a contractor may register with the Board during a sixty-day grace period. According to this bill, only an electrical contractor or photovoltaic installer may perform or offer to perform photovoltaic electrical work for installations of less than three hundred kilowatts. 
 

SB25-174: Sunset Outfitters and Guides

Programs Affected: 

• Outfitters

On May 30, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed SB25-174: Sunset Outfitters and Guides into law. This bill continues the Outfitters and Guides program until September 1, 2034. The bill also makes various changes to the Outfitters and Guides practice act, including: updating grounds for discipline to include an officer, director, member, partner, owner, applicant or registrant, regardless of the owner’s ownership share percentage; adds provisions prohibiting an individual from working as a guide or receiving or renewing a registration as an outfitter if the individual has a license or registration suspended or revoked by the division of parks and wildlife or by an agency of any member state of the “Wildlife Violator Compact” for any violation concerning wildlife; and adds an exemption for motor carriers.  

SB25-289: Creation of a Drug Donation Program

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

On May 28, 2025, Gov. Jared Polis signed SB25-289: Creation of a Drug Donation Program into law. This bill creates the Colorado Drug Donation Program, to facilitate the safe donation and dispensing of unused medicine to Coloradans in need of medicine. The bill establishes parameters for participation in the drug donation program, including:

Requirements for a donation recipient are:

• Record the person’s name, address, phone number, and license number (if applicable);
• Confirm that the donor meets the requirements of a donor established in the bill;
• Confirm that the person agrees to make donation of medicine in accordance with the provisions of the bill and any rules adopted relating to the donation of medicine, and;
• Confirm that the person agrees to remove or redact any patient names and prescription numbers on donated medicine, or to otherwise maintain patient confidentiality. 

Donation recipients are also required to maintain a written or electronic record of donated medicine and ensure that donated medicine is identified physically or electronically as separate from regular stock. Further, donation recipients are able to transfer donated medicine to another donation recipient or an entity participating in a drug donation program operated by another state, as well as repackage donated medicine in accordance with the parameters of the bill. If a donation recipient is a prescription drug outlet or other outlet, a donation recipient may replace the medicine of the same drug name and strength previously dispensed or administered to eligible patients in accordance with federal law.

Donation recipients should only administer or redispense medicine that: 

• Is in unopened, tamper-evident packaging or has been repackaged under this program;
• Meets requirements based on an inspection by a licensed pharmacist;
• Is repackaged by a licensed pharmacist into a new container, or, if kept in the donated container, is in a container that has all previous patient information redacted;
• Is properly labeled in accordance with the rules adopted by the board;
• Has an expiration date that will not expire before the medicine is used by the eligible patient based on the prescriber’s directions for use, and;
• Has been continually maintained by the donor pursuant to the manufacturers’ storage requirements, so long as the cold chain can be verified.

Medicines donated to the program must not be resold. 
 

HB24-1003: Opiate Antagonists and Detection Products in Schools

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

Bill Summary: 

On April 22, 2024, Lieutenant Governor Diana Primavera signed HB24-1003 Opiate Antagonists and Detection Products in Schools, into law. Under this bill, a school may maintain a stock supply of opiate antagonists on school grounds; on a school bus operated by a school district, the charter school institute, an institute charter school, or nonpublic school, or both. The bill further extends the ability of an employee or agent of a school district, a district school, the charter school institute, an institute charter school, or a nonpublic school who operates or is on a school bus to administer an opiate antagonist on school grounds or a school bus to assist an individual who is at risk of experiencing an opiate-related drug overdose event. Each school district board of education, the charter school institute, and each governing board of a non-public school is encouraged to adopt and implement a policy for an employee or agent of the school to furnish an opiate antagonist on school grounds or on a school bus to any individual. Finally, the bill allows a prescriber to prescribe or dispense an opiate antagonist to a school district, school, or employee or agent of a school, or an employee or agent of the school district, a district school, the charter school institute, an institute charter school, or a nonpublic school who operates or is on a school bus.
 

HB24-1004: Ex-Offenders Practice in Regulated Occupations

Programs Affected: 

• All Programs

On June 4, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1004, Ex-Offenders Practice in Regulated Occupations, into law. Under this bill, if an applicant for a registration, certification, or license has a conviction for a crime, a regulator may only consider the applicant’s conviction for a three year period beginning on the date of conviction or the end of incarceration, if the applicant has not been convicted of any other criminal offense during the three year period. After the three year period, the regulator shall only consider the individual’s application for registration, certification, or licensure in the same manner as an applicant who does not possess a prior criminal record, unless the crime is directly related to profession. Additionally, an individual whose conviction may affect their application may petition to the regulator as to whether their criminal record may be considered in the application review process. If a regulator is considering an applicant’s criminal record during the application process for registration, certification, or licensure, the regulator may only deny the application if the applicant has not been rehabilitated or is unable to perform the duties and responsibilities of the profession or occupation without creating an unreasonable risk to public safety.

HB24-1037: Substance Use Disorders Harm Reduction

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1037, Substance Use Disorders Harm Reduction, into law. This bil excludes injuries involving the possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia from a physician's mandatory reporting requirements. Furthermore, the bill encourages the administration and distribution of opioid antagonists, including expired opioid antagonists, by persons and entities, including law enforcement personnel, school district personnel, and health care providers. A person is not liable for any civil damages if the person acts in good faith to furnish or administer an opioid antagonist to an individual the person believes to be suffering an opioid-related drug overdose event.

HB24-1045: Treatment for Substance Use Disorders

Programs Affected: 

• Marriage and Family Therapy
• Licensed Professional Counselors
• Social Work

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1045, Treatment for Substance Use Disorders, into law. This bill allows licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors, and licensed clinical social workers to provide clinical supervision to those working toward certification as a certified addiction technician or certified addiction specialist, and licensed addiction counselors as able to provide clinical supervision to individuals working toward licensure as a marriage and family therapist and licensed professional counselors if the individual performing the supervision has met certain educational requirements. This bill also amends the practice of pharmacy to include exercising prescriptive authority for any FDA-approved product or medication for opioid use disorder in accordance with federal law, if authorized through a collaborative agreement. The State Board of Pharmacy, the Colorado Medical Board, and the State Board of Nursing are required to develop a protocol for pharmacists to prescribe, dispense, and administer certain FDA-approved products for “medication-assisted treatment”, or MAT. Pharmacists who are authorized under a statewide drug therapy protocol, a collaborative agreement, or otherwise authorized under law to prescribe, dispense, or administer medication assisted treatment for individuals with an opioid use disorder are added to the medication-assisted treatment expansion pilot program. Pharmacies that receive grants through the pilot program must submit an annual report to the center for research into substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies by a date set by the center, with a detailed description of the training received by pharmacist, whether the pharmacists who received training are currently able to provide and are providing MOUD treatment to opioid-dependent patients, and the number of opioid dependent patients treated during the pilot program period by each pharmacist.

HB24-1048: Providing Veterinary Services Through Telehealth

Programs Affected: 

• Veterinary

On April 19, 2024, Governor Polis signed into law HB24-1048, Providing Veterinary Services Through Telehealth, into law. This bill extends the veterinarian-client-patient relationship to other licensed veterinarians working out of the same physician practice as the veterinarian who initially established the veterinary-client-patient relationship if the other veterinarians have access to and have reviewed the patient’s medical records. Additionally, the Board may promulgate rules regarding the use of telehealth to provide veterinary services in Colorado. Licensed Veterinarians with an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship may prescribe via telemedicine. Finally, the bill allows a licensed veterinarian who established a veterinarian client-patient-relationship to supervise veterinary personnel who are not located in the same premises using telesupervision if the veterinarian and the personnel are employees of the same veterinary practice location, are licensed in Colorado, and the patient is located in Colorado.

HB24-1097: Military Family Occupational Credentialing

Programs Affected: 

• All Programs

On April 17, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1097, Military Family Occupational Credentialing, into law. This bill allows gold star military spouses, dependents of military members, and spouses and dependents of other qualified service members who are licensed, certified, registered, or enrolled in a profession or occupation to be credentialed in Colorado by endorsement from the current state. The bill also removes the 3-year limitation and non-renewal provision for military spouses, gold star military spouses, and military dependents, and spouses and dependents of other qualified servicemembers to obtain a renewable 6-year credential while in Colorado. Finally, the bill expands eligibility for the program to spouses and dependents of Armed Forces Reserve and Ready Reserve in Colorado, and spouses and dependents of other qualified service members.

HB24-1111: Adopt Cosmetology Compact

Programs Affected: 

• Barber and Cosmetology

On June 4, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1111, Adopt Cosmetology Compact, into law. With the adoption of the compact, a cosmetologist who holds an active, unencumbered license to practice in the cosmetology’s home state may apply to their home state for a multistate license. If granted the license, a cosmetologist is authorized to practice cosmetology in their home state AND any states that are members of the compact. If the cosmetologist moves to a new home state, the cosmetologist must apply to the new home state for reissuance of a multistate license. With the compact in place, active military members and their spouses may designate a home state where the individual is currently licensed in good standing to practice cosmetology and may retain their home state designation for purposes of the multistate license during any period when that individual or the individual’s spouse is on active duty assignment. Any state who is a member of the compact must report adverse actions taken by a member state’s licensing authority or other regulatory body. Furthermore, the compact authorizes the commission to levy and collect an annual assessment for each member state to impose fees on licensees of a member state for granting and renewing a multistate license. The compact is effective for member states once the seventh state has adopted the compact. This compact applies only to cosmetologists. Cosmetologists are expected to be able to apply for a multistate license in 18-24 months. More information will be posted for this legislation as implementation continues.

HB24-1115: Prescription Drug Label Accessibility

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

On June 3, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1115, Prescription Drug Label Accessibility, into law. This bill requires pharmacies to provide patients a method to access a prescription drug label information to a patient who notifies a pharmacy of difficulty seeing or reading standard printed labels on a prescription drug container, on or after July 1, 2025. The patient may choose: an electronic label affixed to the prescription drug container that transmits prescription drug label information, directions, and written instructions to a patient’s external accessible device; a prescription drug reader provided to the patient at no cost; a prescription drug label in braille or large print; or any other method included in the best practices for access to prescription drug labeling information by the United States Access Board. The State Board of Pharmacy must affirm that the alternative method offered to a patient is substantially similar to the method of access the patient requested and meets the needs of the patient. Finally, the bill creates the prescription accessibility grant program in the Department of Public Health and Environment.

HB24-1152: Accessory Dwelling Units

Programs Affected: 

• Electrical
• Plumbing

On May 13, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1152, Accessory Dwelling Units, into law. This bill permits a subject jurisdiction to allow one accessory dwelling until as an accessory use to a single- unit detached dwelling in any part of the subject jurisdiction where the are allowed single-unit detached dwellings on or after June 30, 2025. The bill likewise prohibits subject jurisdictions from enacting or informing certain local laws that would restrict the construction or conversion of an accessory dwelling unit.

HB24-1153: Physician Continuing Education

Programs Affected: 

• Medical

NOTE: Continuing education requirements created by HB24-1153 will not apply until the 2027 renewal cycle. The Colorado Medical Board will engage in rulemaking in the coming months to clarify these requirements. The public is encouraged to participate in this process by attending and providing feedback during stakeholder meetings preceding final implementation. Please fill out this form if you are interested in receiving notification of these meetings. 

On June 4, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1153, Physician Continuing Education, into law. This bill establishes continuing medical education (CME) requirements for physicians, which include: 30 credit hours of CME in the 24 months preceding the renewal, reinstatement, or reactivation of the physician’s medical license in topics selected by the physician and certain topics specified in the bill. In order to verify compliance with the CME requirement, the physician shall affirm on the license renewal form submitted to the board that the physician has complied with the CME requirement. The board is authorized to audit up to 5% of physician renewals annually, chosen at random with an oversampling of non-board-certified physicians, and to require that the physician submit proof of the CME programs completed and the CME credit hours awarded. If a physician has failed to comply with the CME requirement or to submit proof to the board during a board audit, they have engaged in unprofessional conduct. Finally, the director of the Division of Professions and Occupations shall increase fees on physician licensure renewals to cover any additional costs associated with implementing the CME requirement.

HB24-1217: Sharing of Patient Health-Care Information

Programs Affected: 

• All Mental Health Professions

On May 28, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1217, Sharing of Patient Health-Care Information, into law. Under this bill, the office of e-health innovation in the governor’s office is required to convene a working group to determine how to most effectively create a centralized digital consent repository that allows patients to provide, extend, deny, and revoke consent for sharing their medical data and information between physical and behavioral health-care providers, family members, community organizations, payers, and state agencies at any time. Furthermore, the Behavioral Health Administration is required to create a friends and family input form to allow an individual to provide a treating professional or licensed or designated facility or organization with information related to a patient receiving mental health or substance use services.

HB24-1253: Sunset Regulation Of Respiratory Therapists

Programs Affected: 

• Respiratory Therapy

On May 15, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1253, Sunset Regulation of Respiratory Therapy, into law. The bill continues the regulation of respiratory therapy until September 1, 2035. Furthermore, the bill expands the definition of respiratory therapy to include certain treatment of patients pursuant to a prescription issued by a physician assistant, adding to those who are already authorized to prescribe (physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and certified midwives). Finally, the bill narrows the exemption for unregistered polysomnographic technologists to practices that do not exceed oxygen titration with pulse oximetry and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation titration.

HB24-1254: Sunset Regulation Of Respiratory Therapists

Programs Affected: 

• Nontransplant Tissue Banks

On May 24, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1254, Sunset Regulation of Nontransplant Tissue Banks, into law. The bill updates the definition of a nontransplant tissue bank, updates standards of practice, prohibits compensating a funeral establishment for human remains, and allows donors to limit sale of the donated human remains, such as prohibiting sale to a foreign buyer. The bill expands requirements to disclose that the non-transplant tissue bank may sell all or any portion of the remains and that the donor may choose to limit the sale of the donated remains. The bill authorizes the director to promulgate necessary rules.

HB24-1262: Maternal Health Midwives

Programs Affected: 

• Direct Entry Midwives

On June 4, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1262, Maternal Health Midwives, into law. The bill requires the civil rights commission to establish parameters for receiving reports for maternity care. The bill adds a midwife to the environmental justice advisory board, the governor’s expert emergency epidemic response committee, and adds midwifery as a preferred area of expertise for members of the health equity commission. The bill requires a health facility that provides maternal health care to notify certain individuals before eliminating the services.

HB24-1327: Sunset Physical Therapists

Programs Affected: 

• Physical Therapists

On June 5, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1327, Sunset Physical Therapists, into law. This bill implements the recommendations by the Department of Regulatory Agencies in their sunset report, including: continuing the regulation of physical therapists and physical therapy assistants until 2035; authorizes physical therapists to recommend and prescribe durable medical equipment to patients without a prescription from a physician; updates the definition of “physical therapy” to include wound debridement, adds the ongoing review, integration, and understanding of a patient’s or client’s prescription and nonprescription medication regimen to the the definition; and updates the titles and abbreviations that only a person licensed as a physical therapist of a physical therapy student may use. Additionally, under this bill, a physical therapist is authorized to perform wound debridement under the order of an advanced practice registered nurse. Physical therapy assistants may not perform sharp wound debridement, but may perform general wound care and non sharp debridement.

HB24-1329: Sunset Architects Engineers and Land Surveyors

Programs Affected: 

• Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors

On June 3, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1329, Sunset Architects Engineers & Land Surveyors, into law. This bill implements the following recommendations from the Department of Regulatory Agency’s sunset review: the board is continued for 9 years; adds in a failure to respond to allegations of a complaint within the length of time specified by the board; updates statutory references to the names of examinations for professional engineers and professional land surveyors; repeals the requirement that board members be citizens of the United States and residents of Colorado; repeals the requirement that applicants supply a business address on a license application; requires continuing education to renew a professional land surveyors license and grants the board rule-making authority to establish these continuing education requirements; replaces references in current law regarding the Occupational Credential Portability Program; requires an applicant for licensure by endorsement as an architect to hold a license in good standing from another jurisdiction with qualification requirements that are substantially equivalent to the qualification requirements in this state; and makes technical amendment to replace gendered pronouns with gender neutral terms.

HB24-1335: Sunset Continue Mortuary Science Code Regulation

Programs Affected: 

• Funeral and Mortuary Science Services

On May 24, 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed HB24-1335, Sunset Continue Mortuary Science Code Regulation, into law. The bill requires routine inspections of all funeral establishments and crematories, inspections of registered facilities that have ceased operations, and inspections of applicants before registration is granted. The bill requires all funeral establishments to maintain a sanitary preparation room, refrigeration, and liability insurance. The bill authorizes the director to promulgate rules and to suspend a registration for failure to comply with conditions of a stipulation or order. The bill authorizes discipline for certain acts of a person who is an officer, director, member, partner or owner of a registered facility. The bill requires funeral establishments to maintain written contracts with all subcontractors, to not take custody of more human remains than the funeral establishment has capacity to refrigerate, and to timely respond to complaints filed with the director.

HB24-1342: Test Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities

Programs Affected: 

• All Programs

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1342, Test Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities, into law. This bill requires a testing entity to grant an individual’s request for a testing accommodation on a licensing exam without requiring the individual to undergo a diagnostic exam or psychological assessment if the individual is requesting the same testing accommodation that the individual previously received on a similar standardized exam or high stakes test. Likewise, the bill allows an individual who is adversely affected or aggrieved by a testing entity’s decision regarding the individual’s request for a testing accommodation to bring a civil action against the testing entity. Lastly, the bill states that the attorney general may investigate violations and allows the attorney general to bring a civil action against a testing entity for an alleged violation.

HB24-1344: Sunset Plumbing Board

Programs Affected: 

• Plumbing

On June 3, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1344, Sunset Plumbing Board, into law. This bill implements the recommendations of the Department of Regulatory Agencies sunset review, including: continuing the board for 8 years; authorizing the board to discipline plumbers who aid or abet a person in violating the plumbing practice act or other statutes; removes the political affiliation requirement for the board, which requres that a major political party not have more than one member more than the other major political party; provides clarity that the licensed categories of plumbers, plumbing apprentices, and registered plumbing contractors can work on watering conditioning systems; modernized the term “journeyman” by changing it to “journeyworker” in the plumbing practice act; modifies the grounds for discipline of a licensee regarding habitual or excessive use or abuse of controlled substances or alcohol and removes “substance use disorder” as a grounds for discipline; requires a plumbing contractor to display the plumbing contractor’s and attached master plumber’s registration information on the plumbing contractor’s vehicle and in other locations, and the failure to display a grounds for discipline; repeals the requirement that the board send a letter of admonition by certified mail; requires persons who are engaged in the business of installing, removing, inspecting, testing, and rapiring backflow revention devices to be licensed, except when installing or testing a stand-alone fire suppression sprinkler system; makes technical changes to the statute; and requires the director of the Division of Professions and Occupations to change the validity period for licenses and registrations issued or renewed by the board on or after March 1, 2025, to a period of three years.

HB24-1371: More Uniform Local Massage Facilities

Programs Affected: 

• Massage Therapy

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1371, More Uniform Local Massage Facilities, into law. This bill requires every county, city, and county, and municipality that has a massage facility within its jurisdictional boundaries to establish a process that requires periodic criminal background checks for massage facility operators, owners, and employees.

HB24-1438: More Uniform Local Massage Facilities

Programs Affected: 

• Massage Therapy

On June 3, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1438, Implement Prescription Drug Affordability Programs, into law. This bill requires the board to develop an application form to be used by an individual seeking insulin under the insulin affordability program and the emergency prescription insulin supply. The board will make the application form available on its website, and shall also make the application form available to pharmacies, health-care providers, and health facilities that prescribe and dispense insulin. Furthermore, the board shall promote the availability of the program to Coloradans. Manufacturers that fail to comply with the requirements of this bill are subject to a fine in an amount and frequency that is equal to the amount and frequency in the fine permitted under the “Colorado Consumer Protection Act”, and engage in a deceptive trade practice. Lastly, the board shall develop an epinephrine auto-injector affordability program application form available to individuals seeking epinephrine autoinjectors through the program. The form must be available to individuals, pharmacies, health-care providers, and health facilities through the board’s website and must be accessible through a QR code or other machine readable code.

HB24-1441: State Board of Nursing Fix

Programs Affected: 

• Nursing

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1441, State Board of Nursing Fix, into law. This bill eliminates the inaccurate reference to the number of members on the board of nursing that was passed in SB24-167. The board has a total number of 12 members.

HB24-1450: Revisor’s Bill

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed HB24-1450, Revisor’s Bill, into law. This bill removes superfluous language in the DPO common provisions and changes verbiage in the pharmacy practice act to update that a prescription drug dispensing system is now referred to as a “pharmacy dispensing system”.

SB24-018: Physician Assistant Licensure Compact

Programs Affected: 

• Medical

On May 18, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-018, Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, into law. With the compact in place, a physician assistant with a license in a state that has signed the compact (participating state) may more easily become authorized to practice in any other participating state. This compact only allows the participating state where a physician assistant is licensed to discipline the physician assistant, but allows a participating state where the physician assistant is practicing to revoke the physician assistant’s authority to practice in that state. Under this bill, the Colorado Medical Board is authorized to promulgate rules to facilitate Colorado’s participation in the compact. Physician Assistants are expected to be able to apply for a multistate license in 18-24 months.

SB24-047: Prevention of Substance Use Disorders

Programs Affected: 

• Medical
• Veterinary

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-047, Prevention of Substance Use Disorders, into law. This bill exempts veterinarians from the opioid and benzodiazepine-related prescription limitations and PDMP query requirements in section 12-30-109 of the Colorado revised statute. This bill also authorizes medical directors or their designees to access the PDMP for any current patient of the medical practice or hospital under the medical director’s supervision. This bill also removes the Board of Pharmacy’s authority to identify prescription drugs that have a substantial potential for abuse and require reporting of those prescription drugs to the PDMP. Furthermore, the executive director of the department of health care policy and financing or the executive director’s designee, for the purposes of care coordination, utilization review, and federally required reporting pertaining to recipients of benefits under the “Colorado Medical Assistance Act'' may query the PDMP.

SB24-068: Medical Aid in Dying

Programs Affected: 

• Medical

On June 5, 2024, Governor Polis Signed SB24-068, Medical Aid in Dying, into law. This bill modifies the medical aid in dying laws by: providing an advanced practice registered nurse with the same authority to evaluate an individual and prescribe medication as a physician; adding language specifying that if any end of life options conflict with requirements to receive federal money, the conflicting part is inoperative and the remainder of the law will continue to operate; and reducing the waiting period between oral requests from 15 days to 7 days and allowing attending providers to waive the mandatory waiting period if the patient is unlikely to survive 48 hours and meets all other qualifications. Furthermore, the bill prohibits certain insurers from denying or altering health-care or life insurance benefits otherwise available to a covered individual with a terminal illness based on the availability of medical aid-in-dying, or attempting to coerce an individual with a terminal illness to make a request for medical aid-in-dying medication.
 

SB24-115: Mental Health Professional Practice Requirements

Programs Affected: 

• Mental Health

On May 21, 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed SB24-115, Mental Health Professional Practice Requirements, into law. The bill requires an individual to pass the Colorado jurisprudence examination to obtain registration as a psychologist candidate, a clinical social worker candidate, a marriage and family therapist candidate, a licensed professional counselor candidate, or an addiction counselor candidate. Likewise, the bill allows for candidate licenses in the aforementioned professions to be subject to renewal, reinstatement, and delinquency fee provisions if the requirements for full registration are not met within three years. Candidates must also complete continuing professional development and educational hours to maintain their registration as a candidate prior to a second or subsequent renewal of their candidate registration. Furthermore, the bill adds supervision requirements for licensed professional counselors, stating that for each one thousand hours of supervised practice in professional counseling, the candidate shall receive a minimum of twenty five of the fifty hours in individual supervision, which may be in person or in telesupervision. Licensed professional counselor candidates may also renew a candidate registration for four years if the candidate submits an application for renewal to the board before the expiration date of the current licensed professional counselor candidate registration. Additionally, the bill allows for a person in their final semester of a master’s or doctoral degree in a professional counseling program to apply for their candidate licensure.

SB24-116: Discounted Care for Indigent Patients

Programs Affected: 

• Medical

On May 31, 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed SB24-116, Discounted Care for Indigent Patients, into law. Under this bill, a health-care facility shall not deny discounted care on the basis that the patient has not applied for any public benefits program, unless during the initial screening the patient is determined to be presumptively eligible for the state medical assistance program; or, if the licensed health-care professional who provides the services to a patient is responsible for billing the patient for those services, unless the services are billed on a comprehensive bill issued by a health- care facility. Licensed health-care professionals are required to report to the state department data that the department determines is necessary to evaluate compliance across race, ethnicity, age, and the primary language spoken patient groups. 

SB24-129: Nonprofit Information Sharing

Programs Affected: 

• All Boards and Programs

On May 28, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-129, Non Profit Information Sharing, into law. This bill prohibits a public agency from requiring any person to provide the public agency with data that may identify a member of a nonprofit entity (member-specific data) or compelling the disclosure of member-specific data; disclosing member- specific data to any person; or requesting or requiring a current or prospective contractor for a current or prospective grantee of a grant program administered by the public agency to provide a list of nonprofit entities to which the current or prospective contractor or grantee has provided financial or nonfinancial support. If a nonprofit entity or any of its members are affected adversely by a public agency’s violation of the bill’s provisions, they may initiate a civil action against the public agency in district court for injunctive relief, damages, or such other relief as appropriate. Finally, the bill prohibits a custodian of public records from requiring a nonprofit entity to produce member-specific data that is contained in public records where such records are not subject to inspection and copying pursuant to the “Colorado Open Records Act''.

SB24-141: Out-of-State Telehealth Providers

Programs Affected: 

• All Healthcare Professions

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-141, Out-of-State Telehealth Providers, into law. This bill adds a definition of telehealth into law, which is defined as the delivery of medical services through technologies that are used in a manner that is compliant with the federal “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996”. On or after January 1, 2026, an applicant who possesses an out-of-state credential may provide health-care services through telehealth to patients located in this state if the applicant is registered with a regulator, as applicable to the applicant’s practice, and provides health-care services within the scope of practice established under the laws and rules of this state that apply to the applicant’s practice. A regulator may register an applicant who does not possess a license, certificate, or registration in this state as a registered provider if they meet certain criteria, such as: submission of an application in a manner prescribed by the division of professions and occupations; the applicant possesses an out-of-state credential issued by a governmental authority in another state, the District of Columbia, or a possession or territory of the United States that is active and unencumbered, that has educational and supervisory standards required for the equivalent credential in this state or the interstate compact license for the applicable credential type, and that entitles the applicant to perform health-care services that are substantially similar to health-care services that may be performed by a licensee, certificate holder, or registration in this state; the applicant has not been subject to any disciplinary action relating to the applicant’s out-of-state credential during the five-year period immediately preceding the submission of the applicant’s application; the applicant demonstrates passage of a jurisprudence exam. Applicants who have been registered in Colorado to provide services through telehealth shall: provide services in compliance with professional practice standards for health-care services in this state; make a good faith effort to contact and coordinate with emergency services in event of an emergency situation; maintain a written emergency protocol that is appropriate to the applicable standard of care for Colorado; Notify the applicable regulator of restrictions place on the registered provider’s out-of-state credential in any state or jurisdiction or of any disciplinary action taken or pending against the registered provider in any state or jurisdiction; maintain and have in effect a form of financial responsibility that covers services provided to patients in this state as required by the applicable regulator; disclose to the patient that the registered provider does not have a physical location in Colorado and disclose the location of the registered provider; and not open an office in this state.

SB24-173: Out-of-State Telehealth Providers

Programs Affected: 

• Funeral and Mortuary Science Services

On May 24, 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed SB24-173, Regulate Mortuary Science Professionals, into law. This bill requires individuals to obtain a license to practice the following mortuary science professions (referred to as “mortuary science professionals”): funeral director, mortuary science practitioner, embalmer, cremationist, and natural reductionist. All licenses will require a fingerprint-based background check. Licenses for funeral directors, mortuary science practitioners, and embalmers will require graduation from an approved mortuary science school, a passing score on the relevant national board examination, and completion of an apprenticeship of one year or longer. Licenses for cremationists and natural reductionists will require certification from the Cremation Association of North America, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, or a successor organization. Current practitioners who do not meet these requirements may obtain a provisional license. Provisional licenses will require at least 4,000 hours of work experience and completion of a period of supervised work of at least one year. All licenses will require continuing education. The bill establishes grounds for discipline and grants authority to the director to promulgate rules for licensing, authority to conduct investigations, and authority to enforce disciplinary actions. More information is available here.

SB24-198: Regulated Natural Medicine Implementation

Programs Affected: 

• Natural Medicine

On June 6th, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-198, Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, into law. The bill authorizes the director of the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies to approve facilitator education and training programs, exempts facilitator education and training programs from regulation as private educational schools, updates rule-making by the department of public health and environment and the state licensing authority related to laboratory testing and certification of natural medicine products, prohibits individuals, rather than all persons, from having a financial interest in more than 5 natural medicine business licenses, authorizes the state licensing authority to promulgate rules regarding requirements for the destruction of natural medicine or natural medicine product, clarifies that a person may operate a natural medicine testing facility at the same location as a regulated marijuana testing facility, and specifies which transfers and distributions of regulated natural medicine and regulated natural medicine products are authorized between persons licensed as healing centers, facilitators, natural medicine cultivation facilities, and natural medicine manufacturers.

SB24-201: Increase Massage Therapy Education Program Hours

Programs Affected: 

• Massage Therapy

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-201, Increase Massage Therapy Education Program Hours, into law. This bill increases the coursework and clinical work minimum requirement to 650 total hours for a massage therapy license starting July 1, 2024.

SB24-209: Increase Massage Therapy Education Program Hours

Programs Affected: 

• Pharmacy

On June 6, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-209, Pharmacy Practice Act, into law. This bill defines an “inventory function” as any non-dispensing related activity that is related to the management of inventory and that may be performed by unlicensed personnel under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. The bill adds requesting a refill authorization and receiving clarifying prescription information from the prescriber or prescriber’s agent to the scope of practice of a pharmacy technician. Under the supervision of a pharmacist, a pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern may replenish medication in a cassette device used for the automatic packaging of medication. A prescription drug that has been dispensed by an automated cassette device may be returned to the cassette device for redispensing as long as the integrity has not been altered. Similarly, a prescription drug that is dispensed but not delivered to a patient may be returned to stock and dispensed as long as it is stored in the container in which it was dispensed and maintains a label that accurately identifies its contents with respect to the original prescription label. Lastly, the Bill removes the “area of need” requirement from the definition of a “Telepharmacy Outlet”.