While in the House of Representatives, Cohen was a member of committees on Aging, Merchant Marine and Fisheries, Judiciary, and Small Business. Cohen's files related to his service on the Judiciary Committee are found in this series, as is a large volume of correspondence from constituents dealing with legislative topics.  General records, which consist of Cohen's voting record, bill digests and memos, and a small group of files referred to as "Maine Affairs," are also included here. 

Several of Cohen's assistants worked on committee-related issues, as well as general legislative issues such as health, energy, the environment, etc. Since the University of Maine did not receive many files created by Cohen's legislative staff while he was in the House, the ones that were received have been filed in the U.S. Senate legislative series, under the appropriate subject headings. This includes files related to Cohen's other committee appointments dealing with aging, fisheries, and small business issues, as well as legislation and projects which covered Cohen's tenure in both the House and the Senate,  such as the controversy over the Dickey-Lincoln power plant on the St. John River, and the Maine Indian land claims settlement of 1980.

The records included here are divided into three main subseries, which are a) general records, b) legislative correspondence, and c) U.S. House Judiciary Committee Records.