FARMINGTON — Speaker of the House Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, recently addressed the Franklin County Democrats.

Several of the priorities Gideon mentioned relate to health care, such as working to bring costs down, protecting the Affordable Care Act from threats like the recent court ruling in Texas, expanding access to mental health and addressing the opioid epidemic in the state.

Gideon spoke about education and economic growth as mutually related issues. She described the challenge many businesses in Maine face in finding workers. With this in mind, she said, Democrats will be focused on expanding education and special training programs. They also hope to bring young people back to the state by addressing student debt and the affordability of education and expanding initiatives such as paid family leave. Another impediment to business growth Democrats intend to target is the lack of quality broadband internet access, especially in rural Maine.

Several questions from the audience brought up talk of bond issues for conservation, expanding rail and bus services and reducing pollution from automobiles, and moving forward with policies that promote expansion of the state’s renewable energy industries.

The next meeting is set Sunday, March 10, when Senate President Troy Jackson is scheduled to speak. For more information, visit www.franklincountydemocratsme.weebly.com.