Over more than four decades of public service, Senator Orrin Hatch has established himself as a leading conservative voice in the United States Senate. As the upper chamber’s most senior Republican, he currently serves as President Pro Tempore and as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. In this capacity, he has fought to create jobs and strengthen the economy by reforming the tax code and opening up foreign markets to American exports.

As a long-time member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch has also fought to check judicial activism and protect our liberties. He has been instrumental in confirming conservative judges to the federal bench and played an indispensable role in confirming Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito, as well as scores of district and circuit court judges.

One of Senator Hatch’s particularly noteworthy achievements on the Judiciary Committee is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993—a bill he co-authored with the late Senator Ted Kennedy. This landmark legislation prohibits substantial government burdens on the free exercise of religion, allowing all Americans to live, work, and worship in accordance with their deeply held personal beliefs. 

In addition to protecting our individual liberties, Senator Hatch has long been on the front lines of legislative battles to protect our free-market economy and our system of limited government under the Constitution. His reputation as a statesman and his record of fiscal responsibility even earned him the nickname “Mr. Balanced Budget” from President Reagan.

As the Chairman of the Republican High-Tech Task Force, Senator Hatch is uniquely positioned to influence legislation on a wide range of issues important to America’s tech community. Using this platform, Senator Hatch has not only fought to bolster our nation’s economic competitiveness; he has also championed an innovation agenda that puts the needs of Utah’s tech companies front and center.

By all objective measures, Senator Hatch is one of the most effective and impactful legislators of modern times. Since he first came to Congress in 1977, no legislator alive today has sponsored more bills that have become law than Senator Hatch. And with his work in the current Congress, he shows no signs of letting up.

Of all Senator Hatch’s achievements, he is proudest of his family, and he credits the love of his wife and children as the key to his success. He and Elaine have been married for more than fifty years. Together, they are the parents of six children, 23 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren.