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A Federal Bar Assn tax conference in Nov 1996 focused on the problems and issues affecting the tax legislative process. Discussions covered areas such as post-1996-elections tax legislation, the legislative effect of corporate tax shelters and accelerated events in the financial markets, the tax process as it unfolded in the 104th Congress, and forecasts for the future of the process.

The original ERISA bill was drafted by the Senate and had to be attached to a one paragraph bill creating an excise tax on bells to circumvent the constitutional requirement that revenue bills originate in the House. Treasury was not as influential on ERISA as it usually was on such bills due to a lack of interest on the part of John Hall and the distrust of Nixon appointees such as Hall in Congress. The idea to include private business prohibited transaction rules in ERISA originated with Larry Woodworth.