On Monday, the Senate approved Senate Bill 261 to allow courts to terminate the parental rights of anyone who, after being properly notified of their court date and without good cause, does not show up for their jury trial. The measure, by Sen. Ron Sharp, is an effort to hold individuals in parental rights’ cases more accountable and help save time for backlogged courts.
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A measure making it illegal to text and drive is now one step closer to becoming law. Senate Bill 821, authored by the Senate Public Safety Committee, would make it illegal to operate a motor vehicle while using a hand-held electronic device to compose, send or read electronic messages while driving. The measure received overwhelming approval, with members voting 42 to 3 in favor of the legislation.

Gov. Fallin recently signed into law a measure to address Oklahoma’s historic teacher shortage. On Monday, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced that the state still has around 1,000 vacant classroom positions this school year, and at least 500 others being filled by people who received emergency teaching certification.
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School employees will soon be protected from liability for acting in their official duty at school functions under legislation signed into law Tuesday. Senate Bill 5, by retired educator Sen. Ron Sharp and Rep. Josh Cockroft, will provide immunity from liability for teachers and other school employees for use of necessary and reasonable force to control and discipline a student during any authorized school function.
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Oklahoma’s students are getting better prepared for jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) thanks to legislation passed during the 2014 legislative session. Senate Bill 1181, which became law on August 22, 2014, put into effect some of the recommendations of Gov. Fallin’s Science and Technology Council to improve workforce development by strengthening STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programs in Oklahoma.
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For the past three years, Sen. Ron Sharp has been working to secure enhanced transportation infrastructure for eastern Oklahoma County. Sharp was at the state Capitol Thursday for the formal announcement that the project would be moving forward as part of an overall plan dubbed “Driving Forward: Investing in Oklahoma’s Future.” The plan includes a total of six large-scale turnpike projects at an estimated cost of $892 million to be constructed with bonds paid for by tolls, including a $300 million project to connect I-40 in eastern Oklahoma County to I-44, the Turner Turnpike.

Sen. Ron Sharp has refiled legislation to address the growing problem of student misconduct in classrooms. Senate Bill 911 will provide an alternative to suspension by giving school districts the option of creating a system to issue fines if necessary to parents whose children violate the district’s behavioral policy.
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Retired school teacher, Sen. Ron Sharp, filed legislation Friday that will recognize the hard work of all high school graduates rather than just those who plan on attending college. Currently, Oklahoma high school seniors can only get two degrees – one for students who are college bound (meets the state’s College Preparatory/Work Ready Curriculum Standards) and one for those who are not attending college (meets Core Curriculum Standards). The Shawnee Republican believes more diplomas should be offered to recognize all students who excel in the classroom.
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Sen. Ron Sharp filed legislation Wednesday to ensure more Oklahoma teachers and other school employees who volunteer at school functions are protected from student violence and threats. Senate Bill 81 will add third, fourth and fifth grade students to the list of those who will be subject to out-of-school suspension if they are violent towards school personnel.
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Student violence towards other students, teachers and school staff in Oklahoma’s elementary schools is a growing problem. Retired educator Sen. Ron Sharp is the author of Senate Bill 81 to address the issue by lowering the grade level from sixth to third at which students can be subject to out-of-school suspension for violent behavior or threats. The Senate Education Committee approved the measure Monday.
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