Senate Bill 25-273

BY SENATOR(S) Roberts, Ball, Bridges, Cutter, Daugherty, Exum, Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kipp, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Snyder, Wallace, Weissman, Winter F.;

also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Smith and Soper, Brown, Duran, Lindsay.

Concerning the retention of blood draws for fourteen days for use in investigations.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

 SECTION 1.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, 30-10-606, add (6)(e) as follows:

30-10-606.  Coroner - inquiry - grounds - postmortem - jury - certificate of death. (6) (e)  A coroner holding an inquest or investigation pursuant to this section may request a health-care facility that is licensed or certified in accordance with the requirements of article 3 of title 25 to retain and keep safe in its control any blood draw or admission blood sample taken from the individual that is the subject of the inquest or investigation. Upon request, the health-care facility shall retain the blood draw or admission blood sample for fourteen days. The coroner shall serve the retention request on the deceased individual's attending physician, clinical leadership of the health-care facility where the deceased individual expired, or the health-care facility's laboratory that has the deceased individual's blood draw or admission blood sample in its control.

SECTION 2.  Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.