Tick-tock in the House, ticked off in the Senate and reading between the lines, in political notes

Tick-tock in the House, ticked off in the Senate and reading between the lines, in political notes

Bryan P. Sears, William J. Ford

Sat, February 7, 2026 at 10:36 AM UTC

7 min read

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House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk warns of longer days and weekend sessions in the House of Delegates to keep up with work.
Senate President Bill Ferguson emphasizes the importance of physical presence in the Senate, particularly in light of a protest by Sen. Arthur Ellis.
Sen. Arthur Ellis takes his protest against the redistricting bill national, appearing on the Roland Martin Unfiltered show to voice his objections.

House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George's and Anne Arundel) is warning of longer days and weekend sessions so that the House of Delegates can keep up with its work. (File photo Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)

Longer debates on bills in the House could put a damper on delegates’ after-hours and weekend plans.

Work is backing up. House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk told the chamber she is prepared to do what it takes to keep legislation moving.

“We have 60-something days left, so I want you to plan ahead with your calendars,” Peña-Melnyk told the House at the conclusion of Friday’s session.

Earlier this week, the House spent four hours debating House Bill 488, the congressional redistricting bill. There were also long, sometimes heated debates on legislation prohibiting police from wearing masks, banning 287(g) agreements and limiting compensation for utility executives. That’s not to mention procedural delays invoked by Republicans — a tactic Peña-Melnyk said could result in rule changes.

“We’re going to get really busy in the weeks to come,” Peña-Melnyk said. “So, for planning purposes, do not be surprised if we end up being here late at night. Do not be surprised if we have to come in on a Saturday. Do not be surprised if we have to come in on a Monday morning because we’re not going to get behind on our work.”

Senate subtext

Eighty percent of life is just showing up, as one version of a quote attributed to Woody Allen goes.

Those percentages go up dramatically in the Maryland Senate, where who shows up and what it means has been a topic of discussion in the wake of a protest by Sen. Arthur Ellis (D-Charles). Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) appeared to address the issue as he called a final quorum vote at Friday’s pro forma session.

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“With the three physically present members for the pro forma session, the Senate of Maryland remains in session,” Ferguson said.

For those not fluent in Senate subtext, the message of senators being “physically present” was: Being in the chamber is what counts. Its intended audience may have been one senator — Ellis — who was not there Friday.

Ellis stormed off the Senate floor Thursday after demanding a vote on House Bill 488, a congressional redistricting bill that has been bottled up in committee. And while the exact nature of Ellis’ protest moving forward is less clear, it appears to involve his decision to not register his presence during quorum calls. At least 24 senators must be present for the chamber to conduct business during regular meetings.

So the value of Ellis’ decision not to register his presence during quorum calls may have been all but eliminated by Senate rules, which state that the mere presence of enough senators to constitute a quorum is enough whether they participate or not.

It’s all about being there, according to the Senate Rules.

One man’s protest goes national

Ellis took his one-senator protest national with an almost-13-minute appearance on the Roland Martin Unfiltered show Thursday night, just hours after his floor protest.

Ellis, who wants Ferguson to bringup a congrtessinoal redistricting billfor a vote, did not hold back, saying he objects to the leadership “not having debates on this issue, not even in the back rooms.”

“We hear about backroom politics, I’m in the back rooms, and the debate was even silence in the back room,” he said. the redistricting bill has been bottled up in the Senate Rules Committee, of which Ellis is vice chair, since it came over from the House earlier this week.

Ellis said he felt compelled to speak out.

“And so I had to really take a deep dive in history and our ancestors and how they stood up, and how they were able to put themselves out there, being able and willing to be ostracized, to be beaten. We think about John Lewis, I mean, and all these ladies who really led out — Pauli Murray and Fannie Lou Hamer — it’s amazing how they stood out, left their comfort zone to make a statement that had to be made at that time,” he said. “And I believe my protest on the Senate floor today was that statement I have to make in this very, very crucial time in American history.”

Sen. Arthur Ellis (D-Charles) on Roland Martin Unfiltered. (Screenshot)

Ferguson remains a staunch opponent of the redistricting effort.

“I can’t get into the Senate president’s head, why he does what he does,” Ellis told Martin. “But the matter is, the Senate president is not my boss. Other senators might call him boss, which they do, but he’s not my boss. He didn’t hire me, and he can’t fire me for this power position.

“I will never, ever be hired by a white guy, and I’m 64 years old, Air Force, fighting for promotions, fighting discrimination, working for a civilian agency and federal government. It’s been harassment every single way, preventing my advancement. And a lot of my constituents have the same experience, whether it’s working for the private company or for the federal government or state government. So I’m sent here to be that independent voice to say I have zero bosses in the capital, the state capital of Annapolis.

Ferguson thus far appears to have the support of the majority his 34-member caucus, with the exception of Ellis.

“I guess for me, my whole deal is, have the courage and vote. If you don’t want to do it, have the courage,” Ellis said. “Have a debate. Put your — cast your ballot, yea or nay, and listen, and if it fails in Maryland like it did in Indiana, so be it. But it will not fail in Maryland if it hits the Senate floor. Guaranteed it will not fail.”

Ellis so far is the only Democratic senator to speak out publicly on the floor in support of the bill. He told reporters Thursday that he is not the only one, but declined to provide names. He repeated the claim on Martin’s show, saying others “say it privately.”

“I am the only one so far today to stand up and to say, ‘No, we will not be suppressed,'” Ellis said. “We will not be silent. We will not roll over and play dead in the center of Maryland. We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring this issue to the floor and to cause that level of discomfort.”

Being there, part 2

During Thursday’s Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee meeting, Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery) paused for an unusual apology to the lobbyists, community leaders and others who came to testify or simply attend the hearing.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

That’s because about five of the 11 committee members weren’t present after the panel had discussed several bills in slightly more than three hours. The entire meeting lasted almost 4 1/2 hours.

“As chair of this committee, I want to apologize on behalf of the committee because of the lack of attendance of some of our members,” Smith said. “We all run for office. We asked for this job. You all come from all across the state to come here, to petition your government for change.”

He continued: “Part of our core responsibility is being here to listen to your testimony. I know that some members have medical emergencies, dealing with family issues. Some members are just going to committees to testify on other bills. Obviously, that’s part of our responsibility, but we do owe it to you to be here as much as possible when we’re not attending to our other official duties during session. We will endeavor to do better. That’s my promise.”

A few seconds later, a woman walked to the lectern and said, “Thank you for saying that.”

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