21st District Delegation

Senator Jim Rosapepe   Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk

301-858-3141                                       301-858-3502

jim.rosapepe@senate.state.md.us      joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us

Delegate Ben Barnes      Delegate Mary Lehman

301-858-3046                                        301-858-3114

ben.barnes@house.state.md.us          mary.lehman@house.state.md.us

Making Laurel safer

All of us have the right to feel safe in our neighborhoods. No one should be afraid their car will be stolen or their lives or homes will be endangered. That’s why, this year, we passed laws to:

— boost accountability, supervision, and rehabilitation for juveniles convicted of crimes involving guns and cars

— strengthen gun safety laws by holding bad actors in the firearm industry accountable when their misconduct harms Marylanders

— increase investment in public safety apprenticeships to fill police and     correctional vacancies.

    — place speed cameras near stop signs at dangerous intersections

Fighting Price Hikes

 In housing, electricity, health care, and more

Too many prices are too high. That’s why we worked hard to curb them. We:

— passed Governor Wes Moore’s plan to build more housing, particularly near transit, and strengthen tenants’ rights

— expanded health insurance to more working families and coverage of hearing aids for seniors

— reregulated electric rates and more support for offshore wind

— prohibited exorbitant fees on resale of event tickets

More state aid for Prince George’s schools

We have no higher priority than our children’s education.  That's why we successfully increased state aid for Prince George’s by over $58 million.

Boosting funding to maintain

 local roads and transit

In the state budget, we:

             — protected over $22 million to fix potholes and improve Prince George’s roads

             — added $150 million to block Metro rail and bus cutbacks

             — raised fines on speeding in road work zones to invest in roads and transit

Cracking down on drag racing

Too many of our neighborhoods are plagued with dangerous drag racing. This year the legislature passed Delegate Lehman’s bill to crack down on street racing.  Her legislation increases penalties for exhibition driving and speed contests on highways, roads, and parking lots, mandating court appearances for violations.

We worked together on all these initiatives:

Delegate Peña-Melnyk. As Chair of the House Health and Government Operations Committee, she led successful efforts to increase access to health insurance, mental health services and enhanced insurance coverage for hearing aids, cancer screenings, and youth prostheses.

Delegate Lehman. To protect our environment from rubber and plastic synthetic turf fields, she sponsored the new, first in-the-country law to require the Md Department of the Environment to identify how and where synthetic turf fields are disposed of. And requiring sellers to disclose to buyers the costs to safely maintain and dispose of them.

Delegate Barnes. In his second year as House Appropriations Committee Chair, he passed a fiscally responsible budget boosting investment in world-class education, transportation infrastructure including rebuilding the Key Bridge, and quality trauma care and Medicaid for Maryland working families.

Senator Rosapepe. As a top Senate fiscal leader, he focused on writing the state budget to invest in good schools, public safety, and fighting climate change, while protecting budget reserves for future economic challenges.

Please let us know if you have questions or suggestions.  And of course, contact us if we can be of help to you, your family, or your community.