# Joseline Peña-Melnyk

Joseline Peña-Melnyk is a Democratic member of the Maryland House for district 21.

- Party: Democrat
- Seat: Maryland House, district 21
- Serving since: 2007-01-10
- Current term: MD 2025–26 session
- Open States ID: ocd-person/366c0122-84a8-460e-bc98-93d4ca5f0176

Source: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/366c0122-84a8-460e-bc98-93d4ca5f0176 (America’s Political Pulse, Polarization Research Lab), data through 2026-10-27. Data under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Westwood, Sean J., and Yphtach Lelkes. 2024. America's Political Pulse [data set].

## Headline

Peña-Melnyk sits at −1.08 on the CSIP scale, more liberal than 94% of State House Democrats.

## What Peña-Melnyk says (MD 2025–26 session)

258 classified statements: 258 posts on X. Each rate is the share of statements with the label, against the State House Democrats average; rank 1 is the highest rate.

| Label | Peña-Melnyk | State House Democrats average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal attacks | 0.0% | 2.5% | 584 of 764 |
| Policy criticism | 2.3% | 10.4% | 585 of 764 |
| Policy discussion | 22.5% | 39.2% | 607 of 764 |
| Bipartisanship | 1.6% | 2.9% | 431 of 764 |
| Credit claiming | 9.3% | 14.4% | 447 of 764 |
| Extreme labels | 1.2% | 1.0% | 192 of 764 |

Most discussed policy areas: Health 34% (State House Democrats 15%); Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues 19% (State House Democrats 9.8%); Government Operations and Politics 19% (State House Democrats 15%); Crime and Law Enforcement 6.9% (State House Democrats 8.0%); Education 6.9% (State House Democrats 15%).

## Ideology (CSIP)

CSIP score −1.08 (standard error 0.02), from 1,463 donors and 1,010 roll calls. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it, on one scale for every official. 6.3% of State House Democrats score lower.

## Votes (MD 2025–26 session)

1,298 roll calls. Attendance 99.7% (Maryland House 94.3%). Party unity 100% (97.0%). 0 votes against the party majority.

Key votes:

- 2026-03-30 · voted not voting · On Third Reading and Final Passage (CCR Adp) · HB 769 State Board of Social Work Examiners - Provisional License to Practice Social Work - Established · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB769/
- 2026-03-30 · voted not voting · On Third Reading and Final Passage (CCR Adp) · HB 1118 Health, Health Insurance, and Health Occupations - Perinatal Behavioral Health Conditions · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB1118/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading · SB 666 Maryland Community Action Agencies - Funding · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/SB666/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) · HB 826 Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs - Repeal of Interdepartmental Advisory Committee and Establishment of the Governor's Subcabinet… · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/HB826/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) · HB 500 Procurement Reform Act of 2025 · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/HB500/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) · HB 865 Catastrophic Event Account - Transfer of Funds - State Disaster Recovery Fund · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/HB865/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) · HB 1121 Child Care Scholarship Program - Youth Transitioning From Foster Placement to Successful Adulthood Program - Establishment · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/HB1121/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) · HB 478 Hagerstown Community College Police Force - Jurisdiction · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/HB478/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading and Final Passage (CCR Adp) · HB 579 Criminal Procedure - U Nonimmigrant Status Petitions and Immigration Enforcement at Sensitive Locations · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/HB579/
- 2025-03-26 · voted yea · On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) · HB 1473 State Government - Equal Access to Public Services for Individuals With Limited English Proficiency and Individuals With Disabilities · pass · https://openstates.org/md/bills/2025/HB1473/

## Legislation (MD 2025–26 session)

Sponsored 167 bills: 167 reached committee, 131 passed one chamber, 104 passed both, 100 became law. Cosponsored 0. 78.4% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Maryland House 49.4%; rank 9 of 140).

Recent sponsored bills:

- HB 1629: Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs - Discharge of Patients and Referral Services - Standards (in committee, 2026-02-25) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB1629/
- HB 1367: Commission on Re-Imagining Health Care in Maryland (became law, 2026-04-28) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB1367/
- HB 1364: Public Health - Mammograms - Arterial Calcification Notice (became law, 2026-05-26) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB1364/
- HB 1365: Health Occupations, Public Health, and Insurance - Menopause - Provider Training Coverage Requirements, Policy Initiatives, and Access to Care (became law, 2026-05-26) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB1365/
- HB 1267: Patuxent Research Refuge and Beltsville Agricultural Research Center - Zoning Classification (Protecting Patuxent Research Refuge Act) (became law, 2026-05-12) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB1267/
- HB 884: University of Maryland Eastern Shore - Land-Grant Institution - Funding (Land-Grant Equity and Accountability Act) (in committee, 2026-02-20) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB884/
- HB 552: Commission on the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children - Establishment (became law, 2026-05-26) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB552/
- HB 488: Election Districts - General Assembly and Representatives in Congress (passed one chamber, 2026-02-04) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB488/
- HB 386: Metro Funding Modification Act of 2026 (passed one chamber, 2026-03-25) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB386/
- HB 155: Public Safety - Law Enforcement Officers - Prohibition on Face Coverings (in committee, 2026-01-29) https://openstates.org/md/bills/2026/HB155/

## Campaign money (2026 cycle)

Itemized receipts $321.1K (State House Democrats median $40.4K). 85% of itemized individual money came from in state. Aggregates only; no individual donors.

## Recent statements

Newest first. Posts on X are listed by date and link only.

- 2026-10-26 · Post on X · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2114524608116506865
- 2026-10-24 · Post on X · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2113894169814917248
- 2026-10-22 · Post on X · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2113092970115117479
- 2026-10-22 · Post on X · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2113093451948433611
- 2026-10-20 · Post on X · labels: policy discussion · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2112563055230173326
- 2026-10-17 · Post on X · labels: policy discussion, credit claiming · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2111252949595050225
- 2026-10-16 · Post on X · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2110944784399638565
- 2026-10-14 · Post on X · labels: policy discussion · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2110177966311489732
- 2026-10-08 · Post on X · labels: policy discussion, credit claiming · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2108023789317738868
- 2026-10-02 · Post on X · labels: policy discussion · https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk PenaMelnykforMD/status/2105851466292289860

## Links

- Official site: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Members/Details/pena
- Campaign site: https://joselinepenamelnyk.com/
- X: https://x.com/JPenaMelnyk
- X: https://x.com/PenaMelnykforMD
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joselinepenamelnyk/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpenamelnyk/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseline-penamelnyk-27076819/

Full profile, with every chart and the methods: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/366c0122-84a8-460e-bc98-93d4ca5f0176