Occupation: Businesswoman, former teacher
Education: University of North Texas, B.S.
Legislative Experience: Senate Member: 1993 - present
Hometown: Flower Mound
Party: Republican

Senator Jane Nelson is a businesswoman and a former teacher who represents Senate District 12, encompassing parts of Denton and Tarrant counties. She was elected to the Senate after serving two terms on the State Board of Education in which she led the fight to correct more than 5,000 factual errors in school textbooks.

Senator Nelson, the first Republican woman to chair a major Senate committee, serves as Chairman of the Senate Health & Human Services, which shapes policies for the state's health care programs, protective services, the foster system, services for Texans with disabilities, public health, public hospitals and Texas' health care work force. Senator Nelson also serves on the Senate's Finance Committee; Senate Nominations Committee; and the Senate Government Organization Committee. She is the second-highest ranking Republican in the Senate.

Her most recent legislative accomplishments include SB 7, an omnibus health care efficiency bill passed in the special session to streamline the delivery of health and human services; expand protections against fraud and abuse; and publicly report information about acquired infections, errors and preventable readmissions. This bill implemented many of the provisions needed to achieve $3 billion in savings to balance the health and human services budget.

She also championed legislation to redesign Child Protective Services; strengthen rights for wards in guardianship; protect nurses from retaliation for reporting patient safety concerns; protect drivers from exorbitant toll road fees; publicly disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic "fracking"; establish a pharmacy school at the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth; and expand protections for stalking victims in Texas.

She was named one of the Top 10 most effective legislators this decade by Capitol Inside; a Fighter for Free Enterprise by Texas Association of Business; a Legislative Freedom Fighter by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility; Big Voice for Little Texans by Texas CASA: and the Child Advocacy Award recipient by the Texas Pediatric Society.

Senator Nelson and her husband, Mike Nelson, have five adult children and three grandchildren.

Press Room
[Press Archives: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |1999 |1998 | 1997 | 1996]

February 3, 2012
Senator Nelson Awarded For Child Advocacy

February 2, 2012
Senator Nelson Will Chair Medicaid Panel

January 31, 2012
Tracking The Legislature: Interim Studies Are Underway

January 20, 2012
Senator Nelson Appointed to Medicaid Panel

January 19, 2012
Senator Nelson to Chair Alzheimer's Panel

[ MORE ... ]

Newsletter

Senator Nelson's Captiol Update, Fall 2009

E-mail Form

Office Information

82nd Session Committee Membership

• Health and Human Services, Chair
• Subcommittee on Medicaid, Chair
• Finance
• Government Organization
• Nominations
• Subcommittee on Public Safety
• Subcommittee on Articles VI & VII

District Analysis: District 12

Click the map to view a detailed district map in PDF format

Population and Household Education and Employment Income and Analysis Population Analysis Precinct and Districts Cities and Census Designated Places School Districts General Election Analysis