Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk District 21 Born in the Dominican Republic and educated in New York with a law degree from the University of Buffalo School of Law, Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2006. She immediately showed her keen interest in health matters by joining the legislature’s Public Health and Long-Term Care Committee and that interest has not waned in the ensuing 14-plus years. During the 2021 General Assembly session, Peña-Melnyk co-sponsored a bill, which easily passed the House of Delegates, that declares racism a public health crisis and establishes a Maryland Commission on Health Equity.