Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) have set criteria for non-controversial and bipartisan legislation that can be efficiently processed through the Committee.

In a June 24 Dear Colleague letter, Senators Hatch and Wyden said a major factor behind the success of the Committee in this Congress has been the number of non-controversial and bipartisan bills processed through the Committee. "Our sincere hope is that we can continue making meaningful changes with much more frequency and efficiency," the Senators wrote.

The letter said non-controversial bills that can be passed efficiently and effectively through the Committee should:

— be in the Finance Committee's jurisdiction;
— be non-controversial, as determined by the Chairman and Ranking Member, and have strong bipartisan support in the Committee and in the Senate;
— have little or no budgetary impact;
— address subject matter that has been thoroughly reviewed by the Committee, and have received official technical assistance from the appropriate agency; and
— not be opposed by leadership of either party in the Senate, or the White House.

Similar criteria were set ahead of a February 11, 2015, markup during which the Committee reported out 17 miscellaneous tax bills, some of which were enacted in the year-end tax bill.

The letter is attached.

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ATTACHMENT

Hatch-Wyden letter