Committee approves sunset bill for Division of Professions and Occupations, raises licensing fund fee

The House Health and Human Services Committee voted to advance HB 13‑24, the routine 10‑year sunset review for the Division of Professions and Occupations, after technical testimony from DORA and healthcare groups.

What the bill does: Sponsors said the bill clarifies delegation authority for administrative tasks, extends timelines for hearings, modernizes communications with licensees and makes a technical change to a licensing legal defense fund. Representative McCormick and co‑sponsor Representative Gilchrist described the changes as updates to align operations and consumer protection across boards and programs that regulate hundreds of professions.

Fiscal and technical amendments: An amendment (L001) adopted during the hearing clarifies the excise fee language and restores licensing‑by‑endorsement language that had been inadvertently removed by earlier legislation. Sponsors said the legal defense account needs a modest increase from $1 to $2 per license to remain solvent and avoid large across‑the‑board licensing fee increases.

Witnesses and concerns: Dr. Catherine Plummer (Colorado Academy of Family Physicians) and DORA staff answered technical questions on peer‑to‑peer programs and fee structure. Outside counsel to the Colorado Medical Society, John Conklin, flagged a concern about allowing boards to delegate disciplinary authority to non‑board designees without clearer statutory limits, saying such delegation could affect constitutional license protections and that an amendment would be appropriate to protect discipline functions.

Vote and next step: The committee moved the amended bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; the roll call recorded a 9–4 vote in favor. Sponsors said they remained open to drafting clarifying language addressing the delegation and discipline concerns before floor action.

Ending: Sponsors said the bill preserves board oversight while updating administrative processes and fee language; opponents asked for clearer statutory limits on any delegation of disciplinary authority.