SUBJECT FILES, 1982-2013, bulk 1990s

Summary: The Subject Files contain background reference material that Lautenberg's office collected for keeping track of and drafting legislation. Within these files are news clippings, Congressional Record issues (with floor speeches in some cases), encyclopedia clippings, memos, copies of bills, and other materials that helped define an issue and its progression.

Due to the size and scope of this series, it has been organized into twelve subseries.

Environment : This subseries contains material related to Lautenberg's environmental work, including beach erosion, pollution, industrial chemicals, and other topics. Additionally, materials about Agriculture and Energy are separate due to their volume.

Superfund : Records about individual Superfund sites, national Superfund trends, and other related material are included in this subseries.

Commerce : This subseries contains material related to individual businesses and industries, workers' rights, and other content affecting business.

Transportation : Content in this subseries relates to safety standards, government intervention in, and other concerns related to, road, air, and rail travel.

Health : While this subseries contains health research on a number of topics, the bulk of the material in it relates to smoking, AIDS, and women's health.

Foreign Affairs : The bulk of the material in this subseries is filed by country, but issues relating significant international events—such as Pan Am flight 103—were kept together. Additionally, materials about immigration are separate due to their volume.

Defense : Materials contained in this subseries reflect all branches of the military and focus on international conflicts, soldiers' rights and benefits, and proposed military interventions.

Education : This subseries contains research about elementary through graduate education.

Crime : Content in this subseries covers both individual criminal incidents and larger crime trends.

Housing and Urban Development : While this subseries houses material mostly focusing on the Department of Housing and Urban Development, other articles about general housing trends and poverty are included.

General : Subject material not clearly belonging to another category, or which did not have the volume to warrant its own subseries, is housed in General.

Alphabetical (1982-1983) : In the first year of the office, Lautenberg's staff sorted subject files alphabetically. Later, some of this material was discarded. (These files have been maintained as they were packed by Lautenberg's office.)

The larger categories of Environment, Superfund, Commerce, Transportation, Health, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Alphabetical were established by Lautenberg's office; the repository created the additional subseries of Education, Crime, Housing and Urban Development, and General due to the volume of these other records. Additionally, subseries that intersect with Lautenberg's committee work—he served on the Appropriations; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and the Environmental and Public Works committees—are much larger in volume than the other categories.