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Orrin Hatch has been here before. And he was here before that. And before that.

The Republicans are taking over the U.S. Senate again, and just as in 1981, 1995 and 2003, the lawyer from Utah will have a central role, this time as chairman of the Finance Committee that controls tax, trade and health policy.

Hatch will start the year by trying to expedite free-trade deals and repeal a tax on medical devices, while working on the long-term project of revising the U.S. tax code.

It wont be easy.

As Finance chairman, the 80-year-old Hatch must contend with hardliners in his own party and Democrats wary of giving Republicans a victory -- a combination that leaves little room for compromise. He may have less than a year to make a real impact before 2016 presidential election politics overwhelm Congress.

To succeed, hell draw on skills he used in the Senate while some of his colleagues were still in high school. In the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with Democrats to encourage manufacturers to make lower-cost generic drugs and expand legal protections for people with disabilities.

The senator doesnt have his name associated with lots of things that lose, said Russ Sullivan, former Democratic staff director for the Finance Committee, pointing to the 1997 talks that created the childrens health insurance program.

Sullivan recalled: Hatch gave one of the most memorable speeches, that hasnt been made public, to tell his Republican colleagues, This is going to happen. This bill is going to pass. Things are going to happen. So we should get in there and craft it the way we want to.

When theres a big bipartisan effort that fractures Republicans, Hatch is often involved in creating it or voting for it. He started his political career as a conservative upstart who got his break by winning Ronald Reagans support in a 1976 primary election.

Over time, hes moved from the partys ideological edges to its center.

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Hatchs Well-Worn Gavel to Shape Deals in Republican-Led Senate