Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has appointed state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, to chair the powerful Senate Finance Committee, setting the stage for Nelson to be one of the lead budget writers in 2015.
Nelson replaces Tommy Williams, who resigned from the Senate in 2013 to become a vice chancellor of federal and state relations at Texas A&M University. She is the first woman to head the committee in the state’s history. Dewhurst is likely to appoint a new chair to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which Nelson has led since 1999.
“As one of the Senate’s most principled conservative leaders, Senator Nelson has a sterling track record of creating smart, effective legislation for the people of Texas,” Dewhurst said Thursday in a statement announcing the appointment.
Dewhurst Taps Nelson as Senate's Chief Budget Writer | The Texas Tribune.