Joseline Peña-Melnyk

Peña-Melnyk was born in the Dominican Republic in 1966. She received a B.A. in criminal justice from the Buffalo State College in 1987 and a J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, State University of New York in 1991. Peña-Melnyk was an attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia from 1991 to 1992 and the assistant U.S. attorney for the Office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1997 to 1999. Other work experience included serving as a child neglect lawyer.[3][4][5]

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The following issues were listed on Pena-Melnyk's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

Schools and Education: Our children deserve our commitment to quality education. I want our children to reach farther and keep America competitive in a global economy. We do that by supporting our kids with good schools, colleges and universities, and we make that education achievable without putting a mountain of student debt on their backs. That’s why I support President Obama’s efforts to make higher education more affordable.

Jobs and the Economy: America’s middle class is shrinking. It is harder now to find the solid manufacturing and union jobs that pay living wages. A nation of haves and have-nots is not the kind of nation we Democrats and progressive-minded people should accept. I voted to increase Maryland’s minimum wage and I support increasing the Federal minimum wage. I will work to expand opportunities for minority businesses and promote successful training programs that lead to jobs in growing fields in the private and public sectors.

Health: Having affordable health care for my family gives me peace of mind and financial security against crippling health care bills. As a legislator I fought to control health insurance premiums, to increase access to Medicare, and for greater Medicaid funding. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act helped us reduce the number of uninsured Marylanders by tens of thousands. I will protect his achievement from Republican attacks.

The Environment: A healthy environment provides us, and future generations, with many valuable services such as flood control, clean air and water, and even bees that pollinate plants and make agriculture productive. It is just common sense to protect our environment against pollution, the pressures of over-development, and commercial excesses.

Public Safety and Gun Control: Everyone deserves to live in a safe community, free of fear of violent crime. We all should feel free to walk about without fear of the police too. When police abuse their authority it offends all our civil rights and lessens public safety by undermining the trust needed for effective policing.

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