Joseline Peña-Melnyk

Democratic Party

Maryland House of Delegates District 21

Tenure

2007 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

19

Prior offices:

College Park City Council

Years in office: 2003 - 2006

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Base salary

$55,526/year

Per diem

$125/day for lodging. $63/day for meals.

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Buffalo State College, 1987

Law

State University of New York, Buffalo School of Law, 1991

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign X

Personal LinkedIn

Joseline Peña-Melnyk (Democratic Party) is a member of theMaryland House of Delegates, representingDistrict 21. She assumed office on January 10, 2007. Her current term ends on January 13, 2027.

TheMaryland House of Delegates unanimously elected Peña-Melnykstate speaker of the House on December 16, 2025. She was the first immigrant and Afro-Latina elected speaker in the state's history.^[1][2]

Peña-Melnyk was born in the Dominican Republic in 1966. She received a B.A. in criminal justice from Buffalo State College in 1987 and aJ.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, State University of New York in 1991. Peña-Melnyk was an attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia from 1991 to 1992 and the assistant U.S. attorney for the Office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1997 to 1999. Other work experience included serving as a child neglect lawyer.^[3][4][5]

Peña-Melnyk was first elected to public office in 2003, winning election to the city council ofCollege Park, Maryland. She served on the city council until 2006, when she was elected to theMaryland House of Delegates. She received 28.9% of the vote and was one of three Democrats elected toDistrict 21's three seats. During her time in the state House, Peña-Melnyk chaired theHealth and Government Operations Committee. She was also a founding member of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus.^[3][4]

According toThe Washington Post, in 2026, "Peña-Melnyk will lead the House through a legislative session that is already teed up to deal with a number of issues, including a $1.4 billion budget deficit, immigration policy, rising health care costs and a push for congressional redistricting that has divided Democrats in Annapolis."^[6] Peña-Melnyk said civility would be central to her leadership.^[7]

State Sen.James Rosapepe (D) described Peña-Melnyk as a pragmatic progressive whileNews From The States said Peña-Melnyk "built a reputation as being fair to Republicans, who are the minority in the House and Senate."^[5][6] Upon Peña-Melnyk's election as speaker, Del.Tom Hutchinson (R) said, "She is a leader who is always willing to listen and understand, regardless of the side of the aisle on which you stand."^[5]

Biography

Peña-Melnyk was born in the Dominican Republic in 1966. She received a B.A. in criminal justice from the Buffalo State College in 1987 and aJ.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, State University of New York in 1991. Peña-Melnyk was an attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia from 1991 to 1992 and the assistant U.S. attorney for the Office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1997 to 1999. Other work experience included serving as a child neglect lawyer.^[3][4][5]

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Peña-Melnyk was assigned to the following committees:

• Legislative Policy Committee
• Joint Federal Action Oversight Committee
• Health & Government Operations Committee,Chair
• Rules & Executive Nominations Committee

2023-2024

Peña-Melnyk was assigned to the following committees:

• Health & Government Operations Committee,Chair
• Rules & Executive Nominations Committee

2021-2022

Peña-Melnyk was assigned to the following committees:

• Health & Government Operations Committee,Vice-chair
• Rules & Executive Nominations Committee
• Behavioral Health & Opioid Use Disorders Committee (decommissioned)

2019-2020

Peña-Melnyk was assigned to the following committees:

• Health & Government Operations Committee,Vice Chair
• Rules & Executive Nominations Committee

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Pena-Melnyk served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Pena-Melnyk served on these committees:

Note: Pena-Melnyk also served on the Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Subcommittee on Public Health and Long Term Care.

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Pena-Melnyk served on these committees:

Note: Pena-Melnyk also served on the Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Subcommittee on Public Health and Long Term Care.

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2022

See also: Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2022

General election

General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 (3 seats)

IncumbentMary Lehman, incumbentJoseline Peña-Melnyk, and incumbentBen Barnes won election in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mary Lehman (D)	33.6	22,333
✔		Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D)	32.9	21,821
✔		Ben Barnes (D)	32.4	21,531
		Other/Write-in votes	1.1	720

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	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 66,405
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 (3 seats)

IncumbentJoseline Peña-Melnyk, incumbentMary Lehman, and incumbentBen Barnes advanced from the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on July 19, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseline Peña-Melnyk	33.7	9,502
✔	Submit photo	Mary Lehman	33.2	9,381
✔		Ben Barnes	33.1	9,335

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,218
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Malcolm Colombo (D)

2018

See also:Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2018

General election

General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ben Barnes (D)	26.3	27,567
✔		Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D)	25.7	26,889
✔	Submit photo	Mary Lehman (D)	25.6	26,809
		Richard Douglas (R)	8.1	8,519
	Submit photo	Chike Anyanwu (R)	7.9	8,313
	Submit photo	Ray Ranker (Unaffiliated)	6.2	6,472
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	234

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	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,803
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseline Peña-Melnyk	30.0	8,770
✔		Ben Barnes	25.5	7,449
✔	Submit photo	Mary Lehman	18.9	5,538
	Submit photo	Matt Dernoga	18.2	5,316
		Brencis Smith	4.0	1,169
		James McDowell Jr.	3.5	1,027

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	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 29,269
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Fernando Raffucci (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 (3 seats)

Richard Douglas andChike Anyanwu advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 21 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Douglas	53.9	1,492
✔	Submit photo	Chike Anyanwu	46.1	1,274

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 2,766
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

• Prince George's County Educators' Association^[8]

2016

See also:Maryland's 4th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpediarated this race as safely Democratic. In Maryland's 4th Congressional District, incumbentDonna Edwards (D) chose not to run for re-election in 2016, instead choosing to pursue election to the U.S. Senate.Anthony Brown (D) defeatedGeorge McDermott (R),Benjamin Lee Krause (L),Kamesha Clark (G), andAdrian Petrus (D, write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Brown defeatedWarren Christopher,Matthew Fogg,Glenn Ivey,Joseline Pena-Melnyk, andTerence Strait in the Democratic primary, while McDermott defeatedRobert Broadus,Rob Buck, andDavid Therrien to win the Republican nomination. The primary elections took place on April 26, 2016.^[9][10]

U.S. House, Maryland District 4 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Anthony Brown	74.1%	237,501
	Republican	George McDermott	21.4%	68,670
	Green	Kamesha Clark	2.6%	8,204
	Libertarian	Benjamin Lee Krause	1.8%	5,744
	N/A	Write-in	0.2%	531
Total Votes				320,650
Source:Maryland State Board of Elections

U.S. House, Maryland District 4 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Anthony Brown	41.6%	47,678
Glenn Ivey	34%	38,966
Joseline Pena-Melnyk	19%	21,724
Warren Christopher	3.5%	3,973
Matthew Fogg	1.3%	1,437
Terence Strait	0.7%	845
Total Votes		114,623
Source:Maryland State Board of Elections

U.S. House, Maryland District 4 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
George McDermott	45.8%	10,882
David Therrien	26.2%	6,219
Robert Broadus	16.7%	3,977
Rob Buck	11.4%	2,703
Total Votes		23,781
Source:Maryland State Board of Elections

2014

See also:Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2014

Elections for theMaryland House of Delegates took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 24, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thefiling deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 25, 2014. IncumbentsBen Barnes,Barbara A. Frush andJoseline Pena-Melnyk were unopposed in the Democratic primary.Katherine Butcher was unopposed in the Republican primary. Barnes, Frush and Pena-Melnyk defeated Butcher for three seats in the general election.^[11][12][13]

Maryland House of Delegates District 21, General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Barbara FrushIncumbent	28.9%	18,157
	Democratic	Ben BarnesIncumbent	27.4%	17,235
	Democratic	Joseline Pena-MelnykIncumbent	26.8%	16,880
	Republican	Katherine Butcher	16.9%	10,610
Total Votes				62,882

2010

See also:Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2010

Pena-Melnyk successfully won re-election in the general election onNovember 2, 2010. She won the third of three available seats.^[14]

Maryland House of Delegates, District 21 General Election (2010)
Candidates		Votes
Ben Barnes (D)		18,954
Barbara Frush (D)		18,689
Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D)		18,457
Scott Dibiasio (R)		6,131
Jason Papanikolas (R)		6,013
Kat Nelson (R)		5,822
K. Bryan Walker (L)		1,151

2006

On November 7, 2006, Joseline Pena-Melnyk ran for District 21 of theMaryland House of Delegates, winning the third of three seats, losing toBen Barnes andBarbara Frush but beating Niel Sood.^[15]

Joseline Pena-Melnyk raised $83,185 for her campaign.^[16]

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joseline Peña-Melnyk did not completeBallotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

The following issues were listed on Pena-Melnyk's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes,click here.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in Maryland

Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Maryland scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

Personal

Note: Pleasecontact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Pena-Melnyk is Vice-Chair of the Law Enforcement and State-Appointed Boards Committee forPrince George's County Delegation, and a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, and Task Force on Healthcare Access and Reimbursement.^[18]

See also

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