General Assembly to Open with New House Leadership

Read Full Newsletter Here: January 13, 2026 Digest

On Wednesday, January 14, the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates will convene for its 90-day session with significant changes in the leadership of the House of Delegates. On December 16, they convened for a Special Session and unanimously elected Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk as the new Speaker of the House, replacing Adrienne Jones (Maryland’s first woman Speaker and first Black Speaker) who stepped down from the position. Speaker Peña-Melnyk is the first Afro-Latina and the first immigrant to serve as House Speaker.  Having chaired the Health and Government Operations Committee (HGO) since 2022, she has been a champion on Immigration and Healthcare issues and was the UULM-MD Lawmaker of the Year in 2020.

Shortly after taking office, the new Speaker announced a revamped leadership team and committee structure that she believes will better equip the House to tackle federal budget cuts and address emerging issues in infrastructure, energy, and affordability.

Changes to the Committee Structure

The structural changes include splitting the Health and Government Operations (HGO) Committee in two.

The new Committee on Health (HLT) is chaired by Del. Heather Bagnall (D-33C – Anne Arundel County) while the current Vice Chair of HGO, Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-18 – Montgomery) will retain her position. Health care has been a priority since UULM-MD was founded in 2005, and we expect the new leadership will continue to make Maryland a leader in health policy.

Del. Bagnall has served on HGO since her first election in 2019 and has chaired the Subcommittee of the Public Health and Minority Health Disparities. Over that time, she has sponsored dozens of successful bills, especially regarding mental health and health professionals.

Del. Cullison has also served most of her time on HGO and sponsored some major UULM-MD priorities, including the Access to Care Act that included Maryland residents regardless of immigration status, as well as the law creating—then expanding—the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. She was also our Keynote Speaker in 2025.

The new Committee on Government, Labor, and Elections (GVC) is focused on government oversight and has assumed responsibility over election and ethics bills from the Ways and Means Committee.

The new Chair is Del. Melissa R. Wells (D-40 – Baltimore City). Del. Wells served as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee since 2023 and Chair of its Local Revenues Subcommittee since 2025. Del. Wells will bring to the new GVC Committee her understanding of government finance and election issues, including being primary sponsor of several election and environmental justice bills.

Vice Chair Del. Ken Kerr (D-3-Frederick) has served as Chair of HGO’s Government Operations and Health Facilities Subcommittee. He was the prime sponsor of the legislation that created the State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program in 2021, then made the program permanent last year.

The experience of these two leaders in elections, government and healthcare bodes well for progressive legislation that will be directed to the GVC Committee for consideration.

Medical Aid in Dying Update:

This year the Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Task force and our partner Compassion and Choices are focusing on education about this issue. We are particularly focusing our education efforts on the Baltimore area, where education is most necessary.

I’m writing to invite you to a special screening of Other Side, a powerful feature-length documentary that follows the journey of Lynda Bluestein—a lifelong activist who, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, sought access to medical aid in dying.

After the screening, please stay for a live Q & A featuring Compassion & Choices staff and advocates who are working every day to advance compassion, dignity, and autonomy at life’s end.

RSVP to join us at a screening near you:

Date: January 13, 2026 [https://join.compassionandchoices.org/a/mdscreening2]

⏰ Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

📌 Location: Brooklyn Park Library,

Community Meeting Room

1 East 11th Ave.

Brooklyn Park, MD 21225

Date: January 14, 2026 [https://join.compassionandchoices.org/a/mdscreening3]

⏰ Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

📌 Location: Laurel Branch Library,

Large Meeting Room A

(Dorothy Height Room)

507 7th St.

Laurel, MD 20707

Date: January 15, 2026 [https://join.compassionandchoices.org/a/mdscreening4]

⏰ Time: 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

📌 Location: West End Neighborhood Library

2301 L St NW

Washington, DC 20037