and Dr. Tom Cooper will shortly celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and have lived

in East Cobb all of their married life. She was first elected in 1996 and is currently serving

her 7th term as the State Representative for the 41st District of Georgia.

In 2000 Sharon was chosen as legislator of the year by the Georgia Republican Party and in

2002 she was elected Caucus Chairman by her Republican colleagues. In 2004 she was

elected Majority Caucus Chairman making her the highest ranking woman in the Georgia

House. In 2007, in response to her ever increasing committee responsibilities, Rep. Cooper

assumed the role of Caucus Chair Emeritus.

Currently Rep. Cooper chairs the Health and Human Services committee, one of the busiest

committees in the House. She was also appointed chairman of the Special Committee on

Certificate of Need as well as chair of the Special Committee on Grady Hospital. Rep. Cooper

is also a member of the Rules, Judiciary Non-Civil and Regulated Industries committees.

Rep. Cooper holds several degrees, including a B.S. in Child Development; a M.A. in

Education and MSN in Nursing. Sharon has written two textbooks on Psychiatric Nursing

and in 1994 she authored Taxpayer’s Tea Party – a how-to book that encouraged the

average citizen to become politically active. Recently she was asked to update this book,

available now in E-book and came out in paperback in July 2010.

A graduate of the first class of the Coverdell Leadership Institute, Rep. Cooper was able to

pass a major revision of the state’s stalking law while still in her freshman term. In 2002

A.G. Ashcroft appointed her to the President’s 30-member, National Advisory Committee

on Violence Against Women. In 2006 Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Oleans

credited Rep. Cooper as being the major catalyst behind the creation of Cobb County Police

Department’s Domestic Violence Unit. She also served on the former First Lady, Mary

Perdue’s Advisory Committee on Foster Care.

Rep. Cooper continues to Author and foster legislation that promotes improved health care

for Georgians such as- the HIV Screening Bill for Pregnant Women, Georgia Smokefree Air

Act, and the "Health Share" Volunteers in Medicine Act. Rep. Cooper has earned the

reputation of being one of the hardest working legislators at the Capitol as well as being

honest, straightforward and committed. Former governor and U.S. Senator Zell Miller still

calls her "the little legislator that tells it like it is".