Joni Ernst visits Washington Makerspace

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst came through Washington Friday afternoon, Aug. 2, visiting the Washington Public Library’s Makerspace on a day packed with stops around Southeast Iowa.

After a tour of the creative space, the senator said it was great to see all the resources available to Washingtonians, and was glad to hear about the entirely donor-driven funding.

“I mean, you don’t think about going to the library and learning how to sew,” she said. “That’s kind of an unusual twist, but to a space that was available, here in the basement of the library, that could be used to bring the community in … no taxpayer dollars were used to create this space, but it’s very educational.”

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Ernst said she was delighted by the array of pottery wheels, 3D printers and audio recording equipment, but was most excited about the sewing machines, which reflected a longtime hobby of hers.

The visit coincided with another major discussion in educational resources: the recent passage of the Kids Online Safety Act in the Senate, although the bill has stalled in the House. The legislation was bipartisan, intended to hold social media companies accountable for the content accessed by its users under the age of 18. But critics argued it would hinder public access to resources, blocking minors from legitimate discussions about sexual education, eating disorders, addiction recovery and LGBTQ+ issues.

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Sen. Ernst voted in favor of the bill. She said she was disappointed to see it shelved by the other chamber, and called for heightened protections for kids on the internet.

“We have a lot of unsafe activity for our children,” she said. “We set age limits for people to buy alcohol, to use tobacco, you have to be so old to sign off on certain activities for children in school. So why would we not do the same thing in cyberspace?”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com