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Senator
Jane Nelson |
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Texas State
Senator Jane
Nelson, R-Flower
Mound, is known
around the
Capitol for her
hard work and
knowledge of
state
government. A
businesswoman,
former teacher,
mother and
grandmother, she
brings her
real-world
experience to
tackling some of
the most
pressing
problems facing
the state.
She is the
longest-serving
Chairman of the
Health and Human
Services
Committee and a
member of the
budget-writing
Senate Finance
Committee.
Senator Nelson
has been ranked
"most
conservative"
more times than
any other State
Senator. Her
work on behalf
of abused
children,
seniors, cancer
survivors,
domestic abuse
victims and
people with
disabilities has
earned her
widespread
praise.
"She is
definitely a
superstar at the
Capitol," said
Mike Hailey,
publisher of
Capitol Inside,
an online
political
newsletter.
"She's
definitely
somebody you
want to have on
your side in a
fight. If you
don't, there's a
good chance
you're going to
lose that
fight."
She and her
husband, Mike,
operate Mayday
Manufacturing,
an aircraft
component
manufacturing
company in
Denton. The
couple met while
they were both
attending
college at the
University of
Texas at
Arlington.
However, Jane
eventually
transferred to
North Texas
State University
(now the
University of
North Texas),
where she
graduated with a
degree in
education. She
taught the sixth
grade in
Arlington ISD
while her
husband finished
his engineering
degree.
"Then I became a
full-time mom
and a
professional
volunteer," said
the mother of
five. While
raising their
children in
Denton County,
Senator Nelson
remained active
in the
community. She
founded adult
literacy
programs. She
became a
lifetime member
of the PTA. And
at a time when
Democrats
controlled every
state and local
office, she
started to
volunteer for
the campaigns of
Republicans,
including the
breakthrough
victories of
John Tower and
Dick Armey.
When the State
Board of
Education became
an elected board
in 1988, Jane
went from being
a volunteer to a
candidate. She
served four
years, leaving
her mark on the
textbook
selection
process. After
uncovering 5,000
errors in
history books,
she stacked them
up on the steps
of the Capitol
to make her
point. Her
efforts led to
reforms in the
textbook
adoption
process.
Onerous workers'
compensation
laws and her
passion for
education
prompted her to
run for the
Texas Senate in
a district that
stretched from
Denton County to
Stephenville.
"They called me
the Dairy Queen
candidate,
because every
single day I
would load up
the kids in our
Suburban and hit
the Dairy Queens
that were the
center of all
these small
towns," she
recalled. "I
pulled peanuts
with farmers,
milked cows, and
met with local
business owners.
Many of them
told me that
they had never
seen an elected
official come
and talk to them
about the issues
impacting their
families. It was
one of the
greatest
experiences of
my life."
In a district
that leaned to
the left, she
won that
election with
60.3 percent of
the vote. Her
campaign
chairman was, at
the time, part
owner of the
Texas Rangers --
a man named
George W. Bush.
Little did
Senator Nelson
know at the time
he would become
governor and
then president.
As chair of the
state's top
health
policy-making
committee, Jane
oversees
programs
impacting
millions of
Texans around
the state. "What
we do in health
and human
services touches
the lives of
children,
seniors, Texans
with
disabilities and
other vulnerable
citizens," she
said. "Our
decisions have
an enormous
impact on
citizens who
rely on state
services, as
well as those
who support them
with their tax
dollars."
Her legislative
accomplishments
are numerous,
including
legislation to
improve access
to health care;
rein in
skyrocketing
costs; assist
victims of
domestic
violence;
protect Texans
with
disabilities;
and care for
children who
have been
abused,
neglected or
abandoned. In
addressing these
issues, Senator
Nelson remains
mindful of the
need to contain
government
spending, having
been named the
most fiscally
conservative
Senator by
Texans for
Fiscal
Responsibility.
She has won many
awards,
including
Champion for
Free Enterprise
from the
National
Federation of
Independent
Business, CASA
Champion for
Children, and
the National
Distinguished
Advocacy Award
from the
American Cancer
Society -- given
annually to just
one state
lawmaker from
all 50 states.
Senator Nelson's
father, the late
Robert Gray, was
a World War II
veteran "who
taught me to
love my
country," she
said. Her
mother, the late
Edna Gray, "was
my hero," said
Senator Nelson,
who served as a
primary
caretaker as her
mother struggled
with
Alzheimer's.
"She survived
World War II,
the Great
Depression and
still succeeded
in the most
important job of
all --
motherhood." |
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