Staff members with the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary and Energy &  Commerce Committees with eBay's Director of Government Relations for the Americas, Richard Nash

Lead staffers to members of the House of Representatives Judiciary and Energy & Commerce Committees visited eBay Inc.'s New York Commerce Innovation Center Tuesday to catch a glimpse of new technologies and services that are revolutionizing commerce. The visit was part of a five-stop tour through the Big Apple organized by the Internet Association.

This recap was written by David London, Senior Director of the U.S. Government Relations team for eBay Inc. 

Joshua Lindenstein, a reporter with the Boulder County Business Report, recently published an article covering the Marketplace Fairness Act. In the article, he quotes eBay sellers and small business owners, Brian Fricano and Nick Martin. Both expressed concerns with the complexity of the legislation. Their unique perspective highlights the consequences the bill would have on small Internet-enabled businesses across the country. 

While the current state of our economy has negatively impacted many of our American heroes, Internet commerce has created new opportunities for our Veterans. This burgeoning world of small web-enabled merchants is opening up new opportunities for Veterans returning home from war, and those retiring after years of service. If passed, the proposed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) will implement an online sales tax system that will unnecessarily burden these small businesses.

While standing in line waiting to check out with a mobile device, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) saw first-hand how eBay technologies are revolutionizing the retail experience, both online and offline. But Rep. Waxman was not standing in line at his neighborhood grocery store or at a Capitol Hill coffee shop. He was participating in one of several checkout scenarios on display in the eBay Inc. Commerce Innovation Showcase at the company’s San Jose Headquarters.