SPEAKER PEÑA-MELNYK APPLAUDS PROGRESS TO REDUCE UTILITY BILLS, PROTECT IMMIGRANTS, STRENGTHEN OVERSIGHT IN 2026 ASSEMBLY SESSION

MARYLAND HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk, Speaker

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

April 14, 2026 

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SPEAKER PEÑA-MELNYK APPLAUDS PROGRESS TO REDUCE UTILITY BILLS, PROTECT IMMIGRANTS, STRENGTHEN OVERSIGHT IN 2026 ASSEMBLY SESSION

Accomplishments highlight key successes from the House agenda on Affordability, Accountability, and Opportunity

Annapolis, MD –– “We never forget who we are working for: the voters, the taxpayers of Maryland,” Speaker Peña-Melnyk said. “I’m proud that during this session, we put people first – by reducing energy bills, holding the line on taxes, investing in our future, and protecting our immigrant neighbors.” 

Throughout this session, the House maintained a relentless focus on the three priorities Speaker Peña-Melnyk identified at the outset: affordability, accountability, and opportunity. Affordability comes first, because if people can’t afford to live and raise a family here, little else matters. Marylanders have been hit hard by inflation, illegal tariffs, devastating federal government cuts – and now, gas that’s a dollar more per gallon than when the session began.

The centerpiece of the response to Maryland’s affordability crisis is the Utility RELIEF Act, which delivers real relief for ratepayers hammered by utility rates that have doubled or even tripled in recent years. This bill gets the job done for Maryland households:

• At least $150 a year goes back in Marylanders’ pockets.
• Utilities can’t charge ratepayers for excessive employee compensation.
• Data centers must pay fairly for their impact on the grid.
• Households aren’t on the hook for extending power lines far from where they live.
• Speculative forecasting that raises costs for families is put on hold.

“We are lowering people’s bills, but Marylanders expect more than a one-time fix,” said Delegate Marc Korman, Chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee. “That’s why we’re making comprehensive, long-term changes that bring fairness into the system.”

Housing is another key area where the General Assembly is working to lower costs. Homeownership has long been synonymous with the American Dream, but many young families find the cost of a house beyond their reach. 

“Maryland has a housing shortage of roughly 100,000 homes. It shows up as higher rents, fewer starter homes, longer commutes, and families being priced out of the communities they love,” said Delegate Kris Valderrama, Chair of the Economic Matters Committee. “The way to bring down housing costs is to increase supply. The Maryland Housing Certainty Act does that by reducing regulatory, zoning, and financial burdens on home builders.”

The State also owns more than 300 acres of land adjacent to transit. This land, which is connected to jobs, schools, and services, is underused. Incentives for transit-oriented development will further address housing affordability and availability.

Another major expense facing Maryland families is child care. Opening the waitlist for the Child Care Scholarship Program will allow 3,700 additional families to afford quality child care so that parents can work, pursue job training, or attend school. And stabilizing funding for the Maryland Child Care Credential Program ensures continued support for this critical program.

“In Maryland, child care costs are among the highest in the country and are often one of the largest household expenses for families. Without it, families cannot participate fully in the economy,” said Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.  

No affordability agenda is complete without a focus on health care costs. “Maryland health insurance premiums remain among the lowest in the nation. But this is not by accident,” said Delegate Heather Bagnall, Chair of the Health Committee. She added, “The state consistently steps in to pass laws –– like our unique reinsurance program, our Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and our state premium subsidy program –– which work together to keep health care costs more affordable in our state.”

Federal cuts to Medicaid and premium assistance programs have strained the State’s health insurance system again this year, but Maryland’s commitment to coverage will keep 140,000 low-income people in the program who would have otherwise become uninsured. Major investments in behavioral health services were a hallmark of this session as well.

The second House priority, accountability, shows up in a number of ways in legislation passed by the General Assembly. This session saw strong action requiring government agencies to follow through on audit findings, strengthening financial leadership in government, and bringing greater transparency to state contracts and real estate deals that can cost millions.

“Respecting taxpayers means every dollar is tracked, accounted for, and used the way it was intended,” said Delegate Melissa Wells, Chair of the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee (GLE). “Marylanders deserve to know their money is being handled with care.”

Another important component of accountability involves our responsibility to some of the most vulnerable Marylanders – our children. This is reflected in important changes this session to the juvenile justice and foster care systems.

Children who commit crimes must be held accountable, but how society does that matters. Only Alabama sends children to adult prison at a higher rate than Maryland. By limiting the number of charges that automatically send kids to adult court, Maryland is moving toward a system that holds young offenders accountable, improves public safety, and protects the rights of some of the State’s most marginalized.

“This is a crucial step to ensure youths have access to age-appropriate services that prioritize treatment and rehabilitation,” said Delegate Sandy Bartlett, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. “At the same time, we are addressing inequities in the system that disproportionately impact Black children. This reform is long overdue.”

Marylanders were shocked by the story of Kanaiyah Ward, the 16-year-old who died in September in a Baltimore hotel while under state supervision. Accountability requires robust action to prevent another such tragedy. Kanaiyah’s Law does that by creating real oversight and an independent voice to protect children when the system fails.

A related system failure is the problem of pediatric hospital overstays. Children stranded in emergency rooms can spend weeks or even months there because appropriate care is not available. Going forward, a State rapid response team will take urgent action to secure licensed placement when a child who is no longer in medical need is stuck in a hospital with nowhere to go.

The House’s commitment to accountability also forced a hard look at the budget for home and community-based care within the Developmental Disabilities Administration. This $3.3 billion program has doubled in size over the past five years – a rate of growth threatening the State’s Medicaid waiver that keeps 19,000 Marylanders out of institutional care. To protect DDA’s Medicaid waiver and keep the program healthy, the General Assembly agreed to painful but necessary cuts, though it was able to restore $25 million from the Governor’s original proposal.

Pushing back against the Trump-Vance Administration’s reckless immigration enforcement agenda is another way the General Assembly is standing for accountability. House Bill 444 and the Community Trust Act work together to protect Maryland residents while also protecting local police agencies from complicity when ICE commits civil rights violations.

“By banning cooperation agreements between ICE and local police, we said no to this Administration’s extreme immigration agenda and the out-of-control agency charged with enforcing it,” said Speaker Peña-Melnyk. “I’m proud that House Bill 444, which stands up for Maryland values, was the first bill I signed as Speaker.”  

Additional actions taken by the General Assembly promote transparency and accountability in immigration enforcement by: 

• Demanding honesty and transparency in planning for detention facilities, including facilities for immigrants. They must operate under the highest standards for health and safety.
• Allowing local prosecutors to digitally unmask ICE officers who violate Marylanders’ constitutional rights, so they can be identified and held accountable.
• Refusing to let the Trump-Vance Administration’s extreme immigration agenda interfere with the operations of Maryland schools and courthouses.”

In addition to affordability and accountability, the House was focused this session on increasing opportunity, so Free State residents are truly free to pursue their dreams. This is well reflected in the State’s $70.8 billion budget, which respects the needs and concerns of communities throughout the State, while also investing in common priorities.

“This is truly a budget for all of Maryland, which is why 40 percent of House Republicans joined all House Democrats in voting for it,” said Delegate Ben Barnes, Chair of the Appropriations Committee. “This budget says that we are a State where every person matters, and no one is left out.” 

The State budget advances opportunity with: 

• Transportation investments ranging from bike and pedestrian upgrades, to rail and bus improvements, to accelerating the Key Bridge rebuild, and making sure our roads and bridges are in good repair –– because economic mobility depends on physical mobility. 
• Full funding for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and higher ed, because education is the key that unlocks opportunity.
• Significant investments in basic human needs including food, energy assistance, and programs to rehabilitate and create affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households.

Ensuring the right to participate fully in the democratic process is another piece of this session’s opportunity agenda. Maryland has never had a law specifically addressing racial discrimination in local elections. The Voting Rights Act of 2026 steps into the breach by protecting communities of color from being disenfranchised by unfair district maps and other discriminatory elections systems.

“At a time when the federal government is no longer defending the voting rights of minorities, Maryland is stepping up to make sure our citizens’ fundamental rights are protected,” said GLE Chair Wells. 

This session provided a special opportunity to advance rural priorities, thanks to Speaker Peña-Melnyk’s move to authorize a first-ever House Rural Caucus. “I created the Rural Caucus to make sure all Marylanders have a seat at the table, and I’m proud that this in this session, we’ve accomplished a lot for rural Maryland,” said Speaker Peña-Melnyk.

By amplifying the voices of rural Marylanders, the General Assembly made progress on a number of rural priorities, including:

• Providing disaster recovery funds for Western Maryland after the Trump Administration refused to help.
• Targeting assistance for renters in rural communities.
• Helping rural areas win grant funding.
• Investing in education, health, and economic development projects from Western Maryland to Southern Maryland to the Eastern Shore.

“We are One Maryland and our accomplishments this session prove that is more than just words,” Speaker Peña-Melnyk said.

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