Jane Nelson

"Senator Jane Nelson is a businesswoman and former teacher who served two\ \ terms on the State Board of Education.\r \r The first woman in Texas legislative\ \ history to chair a standing budget-writing committee, she is serving her 4th session\ \ as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. She also serves as Co-Chair of the\ \ Texas Privacy Protection Advisory Council and is a member of the State Affairs\ \ Committee as well as the Legislative Budget Board.\r \r Senator Nelson championed\ \ over $8 billion in tax relief; passed more than 30 pieces of legislation combatting\ \ sexual assault and domestic violence; and established a peer-to-peer mental health\ \ intervention program for veterans. She also created the Cancer Prevention and\ \ Research Institute of Texas, which has funded more than 5 million cancer prevention\ \ services. \r \r Before becoming the Senate's chief budget writer, she was the\ \ longest-serving chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. In that capacity,\ \ she led efforts to expand women's health; protect endangered children; and improve\ \ care for seniors and Texans with disabilities.\r \r Senator Nelson is the highest\ \ ranking Republican in the Senate."