ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Sitting in her newly painted yellow office just to the side of the House Chamber, Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk talked about the challenges that lie ahead for Marylanders as she settles into her role as leader of the House of Delegates.
Pena-Melnyk was elected and sworn in after former Speaker Adrienne Jones announced she would step back from leadership. Now, she said she intends to lead from a place of civility and respect for all lawmakers, including ones who come from a vastly different political ideology.
“I notice that when everyone’s views are included, people feel respected,” she said during an interview Monday with FOX45 News.
The former chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee, Pena-Melnyk said she’s used to hearing from lawmakers who view things differently than her – including members of the Freedom Caucus who often have little in common with the Democrats in control.
While working on the HGO committee as it’s known, Pena-Melnyk said there were several issues that sparked fierce debate, including reproductive rights and reparations.
“Those are issues that are very emotional,” she said. “And I have, at that time, seven Republicans on my committee. They’re very active Republicans, and I call them my friends.”
But what I know that they appreciate it when I listen, and I allow them to state their views. And I learned that we learn to love each other and respect each other, you know, regardless of our differences, the Speaker explained.
That commitment to civility will likely be put to the test during session as lawmakers grapple with the projected $1.4 billion budget deficit. Republicans have been wailing against tax and fee hikes for years and that will likely continue this session.
Legislative leaders, including Speaker Pena-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson, have promised Marylanders that taxes won’t go up. While Ferguson took it a bit further and said he didn’t want fees to go up either, that’s something the new speaker said she can’t commit to just yet.
“All I can tell you, I can only control while I do it, right? That’s all that I think I’m doing,” she said. “So, this session, there will be no taxes. In this session, we’re going to worry and do something about those bread-and-butter issues, because that is what I’m hearing from my constituents, okay?”
Pena-Melnyk said she still needs to meet with committee chairs before she’s able to definitively say no to fee increases. It’s unclear how that conversation will go, but FOX45 News will continue to track the budget conversations as they unfold.
Meanwhile, another push emerging this session is accountability. For Republicans, that means a new committee they want launched specifically for investigations on the heels of a series of scathing audits. From the State Highway Administration, to the Social Services Administration, there have been several audits published in 2025 that raise serious questions about government functions.
Pena-Melnyk said she had a meeting scheduled for Monday with the co-chairs of the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee to discuss further but didn’t say one way or the other about the GOP’s push for a new committee.
One of the audits, the SSA probe, dealt with Maryland’s foster care system. The audit revealed a lack of protocols and regulations to ensure foster care children aren’t housed with people in the state’s sex offender registry along. The audit also found a lack of regulations for housing foster care children in hotels.
While chair of HGO, Pena-Melnyk pushed for an unlicensed care workgroup that ultimately passed and became law. That group was supposed to produce recommendations to the General Assembly by Oct. 1, as outlined in statute, but the group didn’t meet for the first time until Oct. 2. Since then, the chair of the group indicated an interim report will be published while lawmakers are in session.
“Yeah, it’s very important, which is why I was the person who was my bill that got behind that. And I demand some action in the report, and we are going to have some bills dealing with that this session,” she said when asked if it’s important to her to see changes come from the audit.
“You will see something done on the Audit and Evaluation Committee. It is one of my priorities.”
Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.
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