(1) A person
engages in a deceptive trade practice when, in the course of the person's business,
vocation, or occupation, the person:
(a) (I) Claims, either orally or in writing, to possess either an academic degree
or an honorary degree or the title associated with said degree, unless the person
has, in fact, been awarded said degree from an institution that is:
(A) Accredited by a regional or professional accrediting agency recognized
by the United States department of education or the council on postsecondary
accreditation or is recognized as a candidate for accreditation by such an agency;
(B) Provided, operated, and supported by a state government or any of its
political subdivisions or by the federal government;
(C) A school, institute, college, or university chartered outside the United
States, the academic degree from which has been validated by an accrediting
agency approved by the United States department of education as equivalent to
the baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate degree conferred by a regionally
accredited college or university in the United States;
(D) A religious seminary, institute, college, or university that offers only
educational programs that prepare students for a religious vocation, career,
occupation, profession, or lifework, and the nomenclature of whose certificates,
diplomas, or degrees clearly identifies the religious character of the educational
program;
(E) Authorized to grant degrees pursuant to article 2 of title 23, C.R.S.
(II) This paragraph (a) shall not apply to persons claiming degrees or
certificates that were submitted as a requirement of the application process for
licensure, certification, or registration pursuant to title 12, C.R.S.
(III) No person awarded a doctoral degree from an institution not listed in this
subsection (1)(a) shall claim in the state, either orally or in writing, the title Dr.
before the person's name or any mark, appellation, or series of letters, numbers, or
words, such as, but not limited to, Ph.D.,Ed.D., D.N., or D.Th., which signify,
purport, or are generally taken to signify satisfactory completion of the
requirements of a doctorate degree, after the person's name.
(b) Claims either orally or in writing to be a dietitian, dietician, certified
dietitian, or certified dietician or uses the abbreviation C.D. or D. to indicate
that such person is a dietitian, unless such person:
(I) Possesses a baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree in human
nutrition, foods and nutrition, dietetics, nutrition education, food systems
management, or public health nutrition from an institution that is:
(A) Accredited by a regional or professional accrediting agency recognized
by the United States department of education or the council on postsecondary
accreditation or is recognized as a candidate for accreditation by such accrediting
agency;
(B) Authorized to grant degrees pursuant to article 2 of title 23, C.R.S.; or
(C) A school, institute, college, or university chartered outside the United
States, the academic degree from which has been validated by an accrediting
agency approved by the United States department of education as equivalent to a
baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate degree conferred by a regionally accredited
college or university in the United States; and
(II) Meets one of the following:
(A) Completes at least nine hundred hours of a planned, continuous,
preprofessional work experience in a nutrition or dietetic practice under the
supervision of a qualified dietitian; or
(B) Holds a certificate of registered dietitian through the commission on
dietetic registration;
(c) Repealed.
(d) (I) Claims either orally or in writing to be a certified optician or certified
opticien, unless such person holds a current certificate of competence issued by
the American Board of Opticianry. Each certificate shall be prominently displayed
or maintained in such person's place of business and made available for immediate
inspection and review by any consumer or agent of the state of Colorado. No person
may associate a service, product, or business name with the title certified optician
unless such person holds the required certificate of competence. This subsection
(1)(d) shall not apply to persons authorized under article 240 or 275 of title 12 to
practice medicine or optometry.
(II) Performs or claims orally or in writing to be able to perform the following
procedures, and such person is a certified optician:
(A) Vision therapy;
(B) Refractions;
(C) Automated refractions; except that a certified optician may use an auto
refractor to provide vision screenings for the sole purpose of determining if the
subject of the screening needs a further eye examination;
(D) Refractometry;
(E) Fitting contact lenses;
(F) Keratometry or automated keratometry; or
(G) Any other act that constitutes the practice of optometry or the practice
of medicine.
(III) A certified optician does not engage in a deceptive trade practice under
subparagraph (II) of this paragraph (d), if said optician performs the described
procedures under the direction and supervision of a person who has statutory
authority under title 12, C.R.S., to supervise the work of others within the scope of
his or her license.
(e) (I) Claims to be a sign language interpreter, interpreter for the deaf,
deaf interpreter, ASL-English interpreter, American sign language (ASL)
interpreter, translator for sign language, transliterator, certified sign
language interpreter, certified translator for sign language, certified interpreter
for the deaf, certified deaf interpreter, certified ASL-English interpreter,
certified American sign language (ASL) interpreter, or certified transliterator,
unless the person holds:
(A) A currently valid certification issued by the Registry of Interpreters for
the Deaf, Inc., or a successor entity; or
(B) A currently valid certification for sign language interpretation that is
approved by the division for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind pursuant to
section 26-21-106 (1)(f).
(II) A person who uses any of the titles listed in this subsection (1)(e) shall
make available for immediate inspection by any consumer or agent of the state:
(A) A currently valid certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the
Deaf, Inc., or a successor entity; or
(B) A currently valid certification that is approved in accordance with
subsection (1)(e)(I)(B) of this section.
(f) Claims to be a verified instructor for a firearms safety course that
satisfies the requirements for a concealed handgun training class described in
section 18-12-202.5, unless the person is verified as a firearms instructor by a
sheriff pursuant to section 18-12-202.7.