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OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Ron Sharp filed Senate Bill 1612 after visiting with attorneys and community leaders from around the state and learning about the growing problem of noncustodial parents being denied their visitation rights by bitter custodial parents.

He announced “We have noncustodial parents who are paying their child support and doing everything else the court ordered them to do but the custodial parents are still not allowing them to see their children because of past animosities. Just as noncustodial parents can be punished for not paying their child support, we need to hold custodial parents responsible for honoring court ordered visitation.”

Sharp pointed out that nearly every District Attorney’s office in the state now has a division completely dedicated to securing child support payments from noncustodial parents.

Those who do not pay their child support face imprisonment and fines.

However, there has hardly been any effort to protect the visitation rights of noncustodial parents.

SB 1612 would require the custodial parent to provide the noncustodial parent, who is current on child support, the court ordered visitation schedule.

Offenders would face a fine.

SB 1612 would also require that future divorce decrees define the penalty should the custodial parent deny the visitation rights of the noncustodial parent.

The decree would also explain that the custodial parent must show cause as to why the visitation schedule was violated.