The Barbara A. Mikulski papers, 1964-2022, contain the professional and political papers of Democratic Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, covering her early activism and years of service on the Baltimore City Council (1971-1976), in the U. S. House of Representatives for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District (1977-1987), in the U. S. Senate for Maryland (1987-2017), and as a Homewood Professor of Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, as well as her political service to the Democratic Party. Contents include files associated with legislation and committee work, speeches and other public statements, news clippings, office administrative files, correspondence and issue mail, project and grant files, casework and other constituent service files, travel records, campaign materials, political service materials, photographs, audio and video tapes, memorabilia, and lecture materials and recordings from her teaching and public events at Hopkins.

The bulk of collection materials pertain to her time in the Senate. Senator Mikulski served on the Committee on Appropriations throughout her entire Senate tenure, and she chaired the committee from December 17, 2012 to January 3, 2015. She achieved many of her major legislative accomplishments through her work on this committee, including funding NASA’s final servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope. Her work on the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, which later became the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, is also well represented in this collection. Landmark legislation and initiatives covered in this collection include the establishment of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health, the Mammography Quality Standards Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Throughout her time in office, Senator Mikulski was a strong proponent of civil rights, with a particular focus on gender and labor rights. Her records demonstrate a commitment to serving constituent needs, such as her efforts to support labor and industry at the Port of Baltimore, initiatives to restore the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay and the jobs and industries it supports, and the creation of a grant program to provide critical support to underfunded fire departments. Notable topics covered in this collection include women’s health, public health infrastructure, pay equity, equal employment opportunities, reproductive rights, spousal impoverishment, funding for scientific and technological research, space sciences, regulatory reform and facilities modernization of federal science laboratories, national service initiatives, education, veterans services, and housing development.

Glossary of terms:
Buck: Letter referred to another federal or state agency for response.
NAV: Briefing folder consisting of information on logistics, scheduling, talking points, and background for an event.

Mikulski's office used color-coded folders to indicate such information as the folder's purpose, who it belonged to, and content. While not all colored folders in the collection follow this scheme, many do. Most materials remain in their original folders; therefore, this list may be helpful in understanding the context around the contents of a particular folder.

Staff folder identification list:
Orange pocket folder: CJS
Light blue pocket folder: Legislative backup
White laminated pocket folder: Executive suite/personal
Black pocket folder: Chief of staff
Burgundy pocket folder: Scheduling to go home
Pink file folder: Signature
Gray laminated pocket folder: Press/speeches
Ivory pocket folder: Operations
Gold laminated pocket folder: Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee
Green laminated pocket folder: Intel
Dark blue pocket folder: State projects and events
Yellow pocket folder: Legislative director
Red pocket folder: Political

Source: Barbara Mikulski