AUSTIN – Today, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the appointments of Sen. Paul Bettencourt, of Houston, Sen. Angela Paxton, of McKinney and Sen. Judith Zaffirini, of Laredo, to the Texas Commission on Special Education Funding. Upon making the appointments, Lt. Gov. Patrick issued the following statement:

“Special education is instrumental to Texas’ future, and I am certain that Sens. Bettencourt, Paxton and Zaffirini will use their years of experience to make the best recommendations on how to fund public special education in our state.”

Paul Bettencourt, of Houston, currently serves as the State Senator for District 7. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government and is the former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector.

Angela Paxton, of McKinney, is the State Senator for District 8. Paxton is the Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Nominations and is a former teacher.

Judith Zaffirini, of Laredo, is the State Senator for District 21. Zaffirini serves as the Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development. Zaffirini is a business owner and is a member of the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.

The Texas Commission on Special Education Funding develops and makes recommendations regarding the methods of financing special education in public schools.