Fact Sheet
Background on the office of Senate President Pro Tempore
· The office of President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate is one of only three officers established by the U.S. Constitution.
· Since 1947, the President pro tempore has stood third in line to succeed to the presidency, after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.
· Since 1890, the President pro tempore has customarily been the majority party Senator with the longest continuous service.
· The role of the President Pro Tempore can be broken down into three categories: (1) Presiding over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President and helping to encourage proper process and decorum, (2) preparing for continuity of government as third in line in succession to the Presidency, and (3) acting as an elder statesman within the institution, helping to build consensus and enable the Senate to legislate effectively.
· The office of President Pro Tempore is a platform to articulate a compelling policy vision and support the party’s leaders in realizing that vision through substantive legislation that is enacted into law.
· With the tremendous growth in threats to our national security, such as the metastasizing of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Africa, the continued aggression of Russia and Iran’s apparent continued development of nuclear capabilities, the President Pro Tempore will also serve as an important voice of “advising and warning” the Senate and the American people.
Senator Hatch as Pro Tem:
· In a speech in October, Senator Hatch said “prudent lawmakers make experience, not theory, their guide and recognize that success requires harmonizing competing values.” As one of the most effective lawmakers, who has seen more of his bills enacted into law than any other current Member, Senator Hatch intends to play a leading role in helping the Senate to once again legislate and to mentor more junior Senators.
· Senator Robert Byrd pointed out that the President Pro Tem’s influence on the Senate as an institution and our nation’s policies is largely based upon the specific office holder’s personal initiative and drive. Senator Hatch intends to play an active role in both restoring the Senate to its former place as “the worlds’ greatest deliberative body” and promoting the Republican Party’s vision for America.
· As President pro tempore, Senator Hatch will use his 38 years of government experience to advise and warn the Senate and the American people as to the threats that continue to grow and evolve today.
Senator Hatch’s Agenda for Governing
· As Republicans prepare to take control of the Senate, it’s important for the Republican Party to tell America how we will right the ship and solve today’s pressing problems.
· Republicans have an opportunity to present a positive, conservative, reform-oriented agenda that will show the American people that we are the party of solutions, the party that can bring our nation out of its current malaise and restore it to growth and prosperity.
· The new Congress has an opportunity to shift the role the federal government plays in fostering entrepreneurship and economic growth, encouraging research and development to drive our prosperity and quality of life in the decades to come.
· In October at the Reagan Ranch in California, Senator Hatch outlined a conservative governing agenda for the next Congress. It includes (1) patient-centered health reforms to enhance choice and restrain costs, (2) tax reform to spur economic growth and create jobs, (3) regulatory reform to remove unnecessary burdens on businesses and entrepreneurs, (4) technology policy to promote continued innovation, and (5) a mobility agenda to help all Americans to have opportunities to thrive.
On Specific Initiatives that Can Become Law
· Senator Hatch sees tremendous opportunities to reform health care. In particular, there is a great deal of agreement among both parties on eliminating the medical device tax.
· Senator Hatch plans to ensure that Trade Promotion Authority keeps America competitive in international markets and allows for another round of free trade agreements.
· The Senate can also address the enormous economic drag of abusive patent litigation through common-sense reforms to our patent laws to ensure that American resources are used to innovate and create jobs, not wasted to settle or litigate frivolous claims.
· Another way to protect America’s innovation is to create a harmonized, uniform federal standard for protecting trade secrets. Trade secrets, such as customer lists, formulas, and manufacturing processes, are an essential form of intellectual property and deserve full protection.
· The new Congress has an opportunity to enhance America’s competitive workforce through immigration reform that will streamline the hiring process for high-skilled individuals entering the United States and by investing in STEM education and training.
· These are just a few of the bipartisan initiatives Senator Hatch plan to ensure are considered closely by the new Congress and that with cooperation between Republicans and Democrats, as well as between Congress and the White House, for the good of the American people and the U.S. economy.
