"Lincoln's Law" Aims to Solve the Silent Crisis of Sudden Epilepsy Deaths in Colorado

The Bottom Line

Colorado is standardizing how coroners and medical examiners track epilepsy-related deaths, focusing heavily on a tragic but historically underreported phenomenon known as SUDEP. Dubbed 'Lincoln's Law,' the legislation pushes for accurate death certificates and launches a statewide public education campaign so families aren't kept in the dark about mortality risks.

What This Bill Actually Does

Epilepsy affects roughly three million adults and nearly half a million children in the United States, and about 30 percent of those individuals live with uncontrolled seizures. Unfortunately, living with epilepsy carries a mortality risk that is three times higher than the general population. But historically, we haven't done a great job of tracking exactly how and why these deaths happen. That is the exact problem SB26-077, formally titled Lincoln's Law, is designed to solve.

Every year, thousands of people with epilepsy die from complications like status epilepticus, unintentional injuries, or a condition known as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). SUDEP is the medical term used when an otherwise healthy person with epilepsy dies without warning, and investigators can't find any other obvious cause of death. Because of poor recognition and incomplete death records, SUDEP is vastly underreported. Under this new law, Colorado is changing the baseline rules for medical examiners, coroners, and forensic pathologists. Moving forward, if a death is suspected to involve a seizure, the death investigation professional is legally required to make a specific determination about whether the seizure or epilepsy was the direct cause.

If the investigation points to SUDEP, the coroner must ensure that epilepsy is explicitly listed on the individual's death certificate as a contributing or suspected cause of death. Beyond just getting the paperwork right, the bill requires the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to report all of these deaths to a national SUDEP registry. By July 1, 2027, the state must also launch a comprehensive public health campaign, working alongside non-profits and health groups, to educate both doctors and families about the real mortality risks associated with epilepsy and how to mitigate them.

What It Means for You

If you or someone in your household is one of the thousands of Coloradans managing epilepsy, this bill is fundamentally about bringing critical—and sometimes frightening—information out of the shadows. Too often, healthcare providers hesitate to discuss the mortality risks of epilepsy, including SUDEP, because they don't want to needlessly terrify parents or patients. But without that information, families miss out on risk counseling that could help them manage uncontrolled seizures and potentially prevent a tragedy.

Here is the part that matters most for your daily life: by the summer of 2027, you are going to see a noticeable shift in how epilepsy is discussed in your doctor's office. The state is required to gather evidence-based information and make it highly accessible on state health websites and in clinics. If you are navigating a new diagnosis for a child, you won't have to stumble across the risks of SUDEP on a late-night internet deep dive; your healthcare practitioner will be equipped with standard, state-vetted resources and contact information for support organizations to help you navigate it properly.

For families who have already experienced the unthinkable loss of a loved one to a seizure, this law offers a different kind of support: accuracy and systemic change. In the past, families often had to fight to get epilepsy recognized on a death certificate when no other cause could be found. Now, it's a legal requirement for death investigators to document it. That documentation matters immensely, not just for a family's own closure, but because every accurate death certificate feeds into a larger registry. That registry is what medical researchers rely on to figure out exactly who is most vulnerable to SUDEP and how the medical community can ultimately prevent it.

What It Means for Your Business

If you operate a standard commercial business—say, a construction firm, a restaurant, or a retail shop—you can breathe easy. Lincoln's Law doesn't introduce any new taxes, workplace mandates, or HR compliance hoops for the general private sector. Your day-to-day operations and bottom line will remain completely unaffected.

However, if your business intersects with healthcare, mortuary services, or local government, this is a bill you need to watch closely. The most direct impact falls on death investigation professionals—county coroners, forensic pathologists, and medicolegal investigators. If you manage or work in one of these offices, your standard operating procedures for investigating unattended or unexplained deaths are shifting. You will be required to stay updated on the latest epilepsy-related death investigation recommendations from national medical examiner organizations. The state will likely push these updated guidelines and notifications through the Vital Events System, so your staff will need to be diligent about documenting epilepsy as a contributing cause of death when clinical signs point to SUDEP.

For healthcare providers, particularly those in primary care, pediatrics, and neurology, expect new patient education requirements to roll down the pipeline. By July 1, 2027, the state will have compiled standardized risk-counseling resources. While the bill places the burden of the public health campaign on the state health department, private clinics should prepare to integrate these upcoming educational materials into their patient onboarding and chronic care management workflows. If you run a healthcare non-profit or an advocacy group specializing in neurological disorders, there may also be future opportunities to collaborate with the state as they build out this mandated public awareness campaign over the next couple of years.

Follow the Money

Despite introducing new statewide tracking and public health campaigns, this bill comes with a surprising fiscal footprint: $0 in new state expenditures.

The official fiscal note indicates that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) can absorb the requirements of this legislation—including updating the Vital Events System, compiling educational resources, and pushing the awareness campaign—using their existing budget and staff resources. There are no new appropriations required, and taxpayers won't see any new fees to fund it. At the local government level, county coroner offices and medical examiners will experience a minor, ongoing workload bump as their staff spend a little extra time ensuring they are up to speed on national SUDEP investigation protocols and filling out death certificates more meticulously, but this is expected to be handled within their current operational capacities.

Where This Bill Stands

SB26-077 is currently Signed Into Law. The latest official action came on 04/20/2026: Governor Signed.

That means the legislative process is complete and the bill is now law. The remaining questions are about implementation timing and how agencies, businesses, or local governments respond.