eBay Expands Washington Presence With Harris Alumnus

E-commerce company eBay has added three new members to its government relations team, including a former adviser to Vice President Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee following President Biden’s departure on July 21.

eBay already has a strong government relations presence in Washington, spending nearly $1.9 million in federal lobbying last year, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics.

The company spent $530,000 on federal lobbying during the second quarter of this year, including work on a series of high-profile bills that would establish comprehensive federal data privacy rules, implement protections to reduce the impact of social media on minors, and crack down on organized crime in the retail and counterfeit product sales.

“eBay really was a pioneer in e-commerce,” Ashley Shillingsburg, head of government relations for the Americas at eBay, told The Hill. “Many people still consider eBay too stuck in the past and don’t realize how innovative we are.”

Shillingsburg, who said vintage housewares and barware she sold on eBay helped her get a down payment on a house when she worked on the Hill, described the team’s efforts “to ensure that as policymakers are reviewing the e-commerce policy, whether they are thinking about small businesses and individual sellers.”

The newest members of eBay’s government relations team — Danielle Decker, Casey Fitzpatrick and Justin Wilson — each bring their own expertise and experience to the “full team” as they tackle these issues, Shillingsburg said.

Decker joined eBay this month as senior manager of state government relations. Previously, she was director of intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Commerce, following a period as an advisor to Harris on intergovernmental affairs and public engagement.

Commissioned as a Coast Guard officer this month, Decker also worked on the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Convention Committee during the 2020 election, according to her LinkedIn.

Fitzpatrick, eBay’s new senior manager of federal government relations, and Wilson, now eBay’s manager of federal government relations, both registered for lobbying for the online marketplace giant in June.

Fitzpatrick, most recently chief of staff to Rep. Kelly Armstrong (RN.D.), will focus on justice issues, including counterfeiting and organized retail crime.

A bill that expand federal enforcement of crimes related to organized retail crime is currently on the House Judiciary Committee, of which Armstrong, Fitzpatrick’s former boss, is a member. The Law to Combat Organized Crime in Retail was one of the most cited accounts in eBay’s lobbying disclosures last year, according to OpenSecrets.

Wilson, who will focus on business issues including privacy, AI and consumer protection, recently focused on all-electric and autonomous vehicles as Cruise’s federal affairs manager. Previously, he was a director of the Raben Group, a public relations company.

“Our issues touch several different committees in Congress, and we have to remain very nimble and the team is very diverse to help us do that,” Shillingsburg said.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story