ANNAPOLIS – The bells in the State House rang for a third time one recent morning, signaling it was time for the House floor session to start. Joseline Peña-Melnyk strode out of her office and onto the chamber floor.
At the lectern, Peña-Melnyk struck the gavel, calling for delegates to quiet down. She was about to lead the session.
It was the new norm for 59-year-old Peña-Melnyk, who was elected House speaker late last year, making history in Maryland as the first Afro-Latina and second woman in that role. The Democrat representing parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties said she’s looking to “meet the moment.”
With only days left in the session, Peña-Melnyk said she has a lot still to accomplish. Her agenda has focused on increasing government accountability and addressing affordability concerns.
“We’re trying to make sure that when we leave here and adjourn, the people are in a better place,” she said in a recent interview with Capital News Service. “And I believe we will do that.”
Early in the session, Peña-Melnyk helped push Democratic priorities, including fighting against increased federal immigration enforcement.
She championed a bill that bans local law enforcement officials from having agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The emergency bill was signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore on Feb. 17.
The speaker also co-sponsored a bill that would prohibit law enforcement officials from wearing masks and face coverings in Maryland. The bill is pending in the House. The Senate approved a companion bill.
“We have to fight to make sure that we have protection for all people, make sure that we fight for civil rights,” Peña-Melnyk said.
Pressing for health care bills
When redistricting, another priority for the speaker, stalled, Peña-Melnyk persisted.
“I’m on plan A,’’ she said at a recent press conference. “We passed the bill. The House made it a priority. It is in the Senate, and there’s still time for the bill to pass.”
Despite her push, Senate President Bill Ferguson, also a Democrat, wouldn’t budge, arguing a new map could be challenged in court.
Peña-Melnyk, former chair of the House Health Committee, also pressed for health care-related bills, one of her signature issues. She recently testified in support of a bill to better inform patients about mammogram results and another bill that would require more training and education on menopause. Both bills are awaiting action in the Senate.
‘It’s not just your mouth or your words, it’s your actions.’
Joseline Peña-Melnyk
She had pledged early in the session to work across the aisle. One of her first acts was establishing the Rural Caucus, a bipartisan group of delegates working to ensure rural Marylanders’ concerns are addressed.
“Regardless of personal ideologies or views on various issues, she really looks for consensus,” said Jeanette Ortiz, director of government affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a longtime friend of the speaker.
Some House Republicans, however, have complained that GOP-backed proposals haven’t been supported under Democratic leadership.
Del. Lauren Arikan, R-Harford, said she was frustrated after her amendment, which would restore some funds to the Developmental Disability Administration, failed last week.
“It seemed to me like the Democratic leadership actually instructed their members not to do that,’’ she said on a podcast hosted by Del. Mark Fisher, R-Calvert, a member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus. “As you know, they often do.”
Calling for action
Peña-Melnyk said the transition to speaker has been a “transformative journey.”
She started as a lawyer and served on nonprofit boards while raising three children. She was elected to the College Park City Council from 2003 to 2006 before becoming a delegate.
“When Joseline was elected, I knew immediately that she was dynamic and was going to be a great partner to advance things in our community,” said Prince George’s County Council member Eric Olson, District 3, who served with Peña-Melnyk.
Olson recalled how Peña-Melnyk had called on the state to address safety concerns along U.S. Route 1.
“We tried the nice approach with the state,” said Olson, adding that when that didn’t work Peña-Melnyk staged a march down Route 1 to raise visibility.
Peña-Melnyk said something had to be done after 15 pedestrian deaths on the roadway. The march, she said, led to more funding for a safety project.
“Sometimes you have to be creative and leave it all out there to be heard,” she said. “It’s not just your mouth or your words, it’s your actions.”
‘I don’t take it for granted’
Peña-Melnyk said her upbringing has shaped her legislative priorities. She said she grew up in a tiny home in the Dominican Republic with a cement floor and a metal roof that would leak into pots and pans when it rained.
“There’s just no way that I can separate myself, divorce myself from that upbringing, which keeps you grounded and keeps you humble,” she said. “You know what it’s like not to have it, so every policy that I fight for, every bill I introduce, I ask, ‘What is the bill trying to fix here?’”
Heidi Gonzalez Ramirez, a first-generation student at the University of Maryland, called it “very impactful’’ to see Peña-Melnyk leading the House.
“We’re just really thankful to hear people speaking up there in Spanish and how it really affects us,” said Gonzalez Ramirez, who attended the legislature’s opening day in January. “It hits home, seeing somebody that was able to overcome so many obstacles, being a woman, being Latina.”
The Legislative Black Caucus saluted Peña-Melnyk Thursday, noting her historic role as the second woman to serve as speaker. The first was her predecessor, Adrienne Jones, D– Baltimore County.
“In every decision I make, I have you in mind and our people to make sure that we leave doors open for people that look like us because we are very capable,” Peña-Melnyk, who received flowers and an award, told the caucus. “We have to work twice as hard and the expectations are much higher. But I want you to know that I don’t take it for granted.”
Capital News Service reporters Alexander Taylor, Nolan Rogalski and Sam Gauntt contributed to this story.
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