2021S0566-3 09/27/21
By: Huffman, Whitmire S.R. No. 39
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes great pride
in paying tribute to Senator Jane Nelson for her 28 years of
pioneering leadership and exceptional service on behalf of Texas
citizens; and
WHEREAS, A widely respected and much beloved public
leader, Jane Nelson enjoyed careers as an educator and a
businesswoman before her election to the legislature to
represent Senate District 12; she has served the constituents of
the district's counties with integrity and dedication for 10
consecutive terms, and she is bringing to a close her
distinguished tenure as the longest-serving Republican senator;
and
WHEREAS, Jane Nelson first began serving the citizens of
Texas in 1988, when she was elected to serve as a member of the
Texas State Board of Education; in 1992, she became the 10th
woman and the third Republican woman to be elected to the Texas
Senate; six years later, Senator Nelson became the first
Republican woman to chair a Senate standing committee when she
was appointed chair of the Committee on Health Services, and in
2014, she became the first woman to chair the Senate Committee on
Finance; she is ending her trailblazing career of legislative
leadership after having written four state budgets; and
WHEREAS, Senator Nelson's extensive list of legislative
accomplishments includes establishing the Cancer Prevention and
Research Institute of Texas, reforming medical liability,
overhauling the foster care system, expanding access to mental
health services, championing 30 pieces of legislation to combat
sexual assault and domestic violence, and authoring and
supporting numerous bills to the benefit of Texas teachers and
students; she is held in high esteem by her colleagues for her
professional expertise and bipartisan approach to policymaking,
and she is well known for consistently honoring the
accomplishments and celebratory milestones of her fellow
legislators; and
WHEREAS, Senator Nelson served as president pro tempore
during the 78th Interim, and she was Governor for a Day in 2004;
she has been honored by such institutions as the American Medical
Association, the American Cancer Society, the Texas Association
of Business, and the Texas Council on Family Violence; and
WHEREAS, She has skillfully managed the duties of a
senator and has taken care of the needs of her constituents while
continuing to be a source of strength to her large and loving
family; she is a devoted wife to J. Michael Nelson, and she is a
loving mother to their five children and a doting grandmother to
their 12 grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Jane Nelson has been a trusted voice for her North
Texas community and a tireless advocate for women, children,
veterans, and the elderly in Texas; she has shaped policy that
has ensured government efficiency while improving the lives of
all Texans, and her proud legacy of service will continue to
benefit citizens long into the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby honor Senator Jane
Nelson for her many contributions to the State of Texas and for
her outstanding service as a Texas senator; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
her as an expression of high esteem from the Texas Senate.