30-10-601.6. Coroners standards and training board - repeal.
(1) There is hereby created in the department of public health and environment the Colorado coroners standards and training board, referred to in this part 6 as the "C.C.S.T. board".
(2) The C.C.S.T. board shall exercise its powers and perform its duties and functions under the department of public health and environment as if transferred to the department by a type 2 transfer, as such transfer is defined in the "Administrative Organization Act of 1968", article 1 of title 24, C.R.S.
(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.
..(b) The members of the C.C.S.T. board shall be:
.......(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, of the members initially appointed, three members shall be appointed for a term of three years, three members shall be appointed for a term of two years, and two members shall be appointed for a term of one 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) On and after August 6, 2003, the executive director of the department of public health and environment may accept gifts, grants, and donations to cover the costs incurred in the establishment and operation of the C.C.S.T. board. Such gifts, grants, and donations received shall be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the moneys to the coroner training fund created in section 30-10-601.8 (5). The state treasurer shall report the total amount of gifts, grants, and donations transmitted pursuant to this section as of July 1, 2005, to the revisor of statutes. Any unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund upon the repeal of this section shall be transferred to the general fund.
..(b) This section and sections 30-10-601.7, 30-10-601.8, and 30-10-601.9 are repealed, effective July 1, 2005, unless the total amount of gifts, grants, and donations transmitted to the state treasurer as reported to the revisor of statutes pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (5) is not less than twenty thousand dollars as of July 1, 2005.
(6) The department of public health and environment in coordination with the C.C.S.T. board shall hire an independent contractor to perform administrative duties related to the establishment and operation of the C.C.S.T. board.
Source: L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 1831, § 3, effective August 6.
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30-10-601.7. Duties of the Colorado coroners standards and training board.
(1) In addition to its other duties set forth in this part 6, the C.C.S.T. board shall:
..(a) Develop a curriculum for a forty-hour training course for new coroners and approve the qualifications of the instructors who teach the course;
..(b) Approve training providers to certify coroners in basic medical-legal death investigation pursuant to section 30-10-601.8 (2); and
..(c) Approve training providers and programs used to fulfill the annual sixteen-hour in-service training requirement specified in section 30-10-601.8 (3).
Source: L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 1833, § 3, effective August 6.
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30-10-601.8. Training - fees - coroner training fund.
(1) A person who is elected or appointed to the office of coroner for the first time shall attend, at the first opportunity after the election or appointment, a training course for new coroners of at least forty hours using the curriculum developed by the C.C.S.T. board. The course shall be prepared and presented by qualified instructors from the Colorado coroners association or another training provider approved by the C.C.S.T. board. At the request of a new coroner, the C.C.S.T. board may decide that a combination of education, experience, and training satisfies the requirement to complete the training course for new coroners.
(2) A person who is elected or appointed to the office of coroner for the first time shall, within one year of taking office, obtain certification in basic medical-legal death investigation from the Colorado coroners association or another training provider approved by the C.C.S.T. board. The C.C.S.T. board may grant an extension of up to one year to obtain such certification for just cause. The C.C.S.T. board shall issue written findings of fact supporting the extension.
(3) Each coroner shall complete a minimum of sixteen hours of in-service training provided by the Colorado coroners association or by another training provider approved by the C.C.S.T. board during each year of the coroner's term. At the request of a coroner, the C.C.S.T. board may decide that a combination of education, experience, and training satisfies the requirement to complete sixteen hours of in-service training annually.
(4) The county shall pay the costs of new coroner and in-service training. The fees charged by the C.C.S.T. board for training programs may include costs incurred in the establishment and operation of the C.C.S.T. board.
(5) The C.C.S.T. board shall by rule establish fees for training programs. All fees collected shall be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the coroner training fund, which fund is hereby created. The moneys in the fund are hereby continuously appropriated to the C.C.S.T. board for the purposes of this part 6. In accordance with section 24-36-114, C.R.S., all interest derived from the deposit and investment of moneys in the fund shall be credited to the general fund.
Source: L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 1833, § 3, effective August 6.
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