Colorado § 30-10-601.6 - Coroners standards and training board.

§ 30-10-601.6. Coroners standards and training board.

(1) There is hereby created in the department of public health and environment the Colorado coroners standards and training board.

(2) The C.C.S.T. board is a type 2 entity, as defined in section 24-1-105, and exercises its powers and performs its duties and functions under the department of public health and environment.

(3) (a) The C.C.S.T. board shall consist of eight members. The chairperson and the vice-chairperson of the C.C.S.T. board shall be elected annually by the members of the C.C.S.T. board with the requirement that the chairperson be either a coroner or a forensic pathologist.

(b) The members of the C.C.S.T. board shall be appointed by the governor as follows:

(I) A coroner of a county with a population of fifty thousand or more;

(II) A coroner of a county with a population of less than fifty thousand but more than fifteen thousand;

(III) A coroner of a county with a population of fifteen thousand or less;

(IV) A county commissioner of a county with a population of fifty thousand or more;

(V) A county commissioner of a county with a population of less than fifty thousand;

(VI) A pathologist who is actively engaged in performing postmortem examinations for a county in this state and who is a member of the Colorado medical society;

(VII) A chief of police from a municipality in this state or a county sheriff; and

(VIII) A district attorney from a judicial district in this state.

(c) The governor shall appoint each member of the C.C.S.T. board for a term of three years; except that the terms shall be staggered so that no more than three members' terms expire in the same year.

(d) If a county coroner, county commissioner, county sheriff, chief of police, or district attorney leaves that office, that person's term on the C.C.S.T. board shall expire. The governor shall appoint a suitable person to fill the vacancy on the C.C.S.T. board for the unexpired term.

(4) The members of the C.C.S.T. board shall receive no compensation for their services but may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.

(5) (a) The C.C.S.T. board may accept and expend gifts, grants, and donations to pay the direct expenses of the C.C.S.T. board. The C.C.S.T. board shall transmit all gifts, grants, and donations to the state treasurer, who shall credit the money to the coroner training fund created in section 30-10-601.8 (5). Any unencumbered state money remaining in the fund upon the repeal of this section shall be transferred to the general fund.

(b) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2011, (HB 11-1303), ch. 264, p. 1173, § 85, effective August 10, 2011.)

(6) The department of public health and environment staff is not required to provide any financial support or perform any administrative duties related to the operation of the C.C.S.T. board.

(7) The attorney general shall be the legal advisor to the C.C.S.T. board. A deputy or assistant attorney general chosen by the attorney general or the attorney general's designee shall attend each meeting of the C.C.S.T. board to provide legal counsel to the C.C.S.T. board as requested by the board.

Source: L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 1831, § 3, effective August 6. L. 2011: (5) amended, (HB 11-1303), ch. 264, p. 1173, § 85, effective August 10. L. 2014: (3)(a), (5)(a), and (6) amended and (7) added, (HB 14-1380), ch. 376, p. 1793, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2020: (5)(a) and (6) amended, (HB 20-1397), ch. 213, p. 1030, § 2, effective June 30. L. 2022: IP(3)(b) and (3)(c) amended, (SB 22-013), ch. 2, p. 73, § 97, effective February 25; (2) amended, (SB 22-162), ch. 469, p. 3370, § 57, effective August 10. L. 2025: (1) amended, (SB 25-275), ch. 377, p. 2087, § 254, effective August 6.

Cross references: For the short title (the "Debbie Haskins 'Administrative Organization Act of 1968' Modernization Act") in SB 22-162, see section 1 of chapter 469, Session Laws of Colorado 2022.