Last month, boxes of cremated remains were found in the home of a funeral director, along with a decomposing body discovered in a hearse in his backyard. But this was far from the only disturbing case — over the last few years, local funeral homes have been caught illegally selling body parts, giving families “ashes” of loved ones that turned out to be concrete mix, and abandoning corpses in 70 degree rooms for years. This week lawmakers introduced legislation to fix a long deregulated industry. But how did Colorado become the place with the most lax regulations and oversight in the country? We asked an expert.
Here’s the full text of Senate Bill 174, Regulate Mortuary Science Occupations. Learn more about Faith Haug’s department and the mortuary science program at Arapahoe Community College. 
For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver
Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver
What do you think? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418‬
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
PineMelon
Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices