E-commerce company eBay has added three new members to its government relations team, including a former adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination after President Biden leaves office last Sunday.
eBay already has a strong government presence in Washington. $1.9 million There were more than 100 reports of federal lobbying last year, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks political finance.
company Spent $530,000 Federal lobbying activity in the second quarter of the year included efforts on a number of high-profile bills that would establish comprehensive federal data privacy rules, put in place guardrails to curb the influence of social media on minors, and crack down on organized retail crime and the sale of counterfeit goods.
“eBay was really a pioneer in e-commerce,” Ashley Shillingsberg, eBay’s head of U.S. government relations, told The Hill. “A lot of people think of eBay as stuck in the past and don’t realize how innovative we are.”
Shillingsberg said the vintage home and barware he sold on eBay while in Congress helped him save up a down payment for a house, and described his team’s work as “making sure that policymakers are thinking of small businesses and individual sellers when considering e-commerce policy.”
Shillingsberg said the newest members of eBay’s government relations team, Danielle Decker, Casey Fitzpatrick and Justin Wilson, each bring unique expertise and experience to a “well-rounded team” working on these issues.
Decker joined eBay this month as senior manager of state government relations after previously serving as director of intergovernmental relations for the Commerce Department and later as an adviser to Harris on intergovernmental relations and public engagement.
Decker, who was commissioned as a Coast Guard officer this month, also worked for Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Convention Committee during the 2020 election, he said on LinkedIn.
Fitzpatrick, who was eBay’s senior manager of federal government relations, and Wilson, who is now eBay’s manager of federal government relations. Registered He lobbied for the online marketplace giant in June.
Fitzpatrick, who most recently served as chief of staff to Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R.N.), will focus on justice issues including counterfeiting and organized retail crime.
This bill is Expanding Federal Law Enforcement Crimes related to organized retail crime are the current The House Judiciary Committee, where Fitzpatrick’s former boss, Armstrong, sits, is the chair of the Organized Retail Crime Act. One of the most frequently cited According to OpenSecrets, eBay’s lobbying disclosure last year included invoices that read as follows:
Wilson, who focuses on commercial issues such as privacy, AI and consumer protection, was Cruise’s federal affairs manager and most recently focused on all-electric and self-driving cars. He previously served as a director at public policy firm Raven Group.
“Our issues impact many different committees across Congress, so we have to stay nimble, and we have a very diverse team to help us,” Shillingsburg said.
