Sara Gideon

Maine Senate President Mike Thibodeau, a Republican from Winterport, delivered Thursday what he expects to be his last speech to this Senate.

When the second regular session of the legislature adjourned and lawmakers left the statehouse this week, both parties were blaming the other for unfinished business. 

The blame continued when Governor Paul LePage gave his latest weekly radio address with the title “Speaker Gideon Kills Good Legislation That Would Benefit the Maine People.”

Speaker of the House Sara Gideon has now released a statement responding to the governor's remarks.

House Speaker Sara Gideon is proposing that the Legislature bolster two job training programs in January. 

Gideon says the state must do more to train low-income Mainers to fill needed jobs.  She says two programs in particular are now underutilized, and should be expanded.

“What we tried to do in this bill is, actually, go after both of those challenges and address them together," Gideon says. "We want to lift people out of poverty and we want to get the workforce trained.”

AUGUSTA, Maine - Democrats in the Maine House of Representatives have nominated their leaders for the upcoming session.

They chose Rep. Sara Gideon, of Freeport, as speaker of the house, Erin Herbig, of Belfast, as majority leader, and Lewiston Rep. Jared Golden as assistant majority leader.

Gideon says it will be a difficult session. “It is always a difficult thing to keep 77 people moving in the same direction. It takes conversations, it takes an understanding of all the ramifications of things.”