  Measurements of the beta-neutrino correlation coefficient (a$_{\beta\nu}$) in
nuclear beta decay, together with the Fierz interference term (b$_F$), provide
a robust test for the existence of exotic interactions beyond the Standard
Model of Particle Physics. The extraction of these quantities from the recoil
ion spectra in $\beta$-decay requires accurate knowledge, decay branching
ratios, and high-precision calculations of higher order nuclear effects. Here,
we report on a new measurement of the $^{23}$Ne $\beta$-decay branching ratio,
which allows a reanalysis of existing high-precision measurements. Together
with new theoretical calculations of nuclear structure effects, augmented with
robust theoretical uncertainty, this measurement improves on the current
knowledge of a$_{\beta\nu}$ in $^{23}$Ne by an order of magnitude, and strongly
constrains the Fierz term in beta decays, making this one of the first
extractions to constrain both terms simultaneously. Together, these results
place bounds on the existence of exotic tensor interactions and pave the way
for new, even higher precision, experiments.
