Cruising  Slashdot  this morning, I find that my very own  Senator Larry A. Mumper  is the author of  Ohio Senate Bill 209 , whose aim (according to  an article on CNN ) is to require Ohio eBay sellers to license themselves and post a $50,000 bond in addition to requiring eBay sellers to attend a state-approved auction school, to take undertake a one-year apprenticeship with a licensed auctioneer and to pass a written and oral exam on auctioning.

At about 9:20 am EST, I phoned Senator Mumper’s office to let him know that I am extremely displeased with this piece of legislation. The person on the other end informed me that changes to Senate Bill 209 were being introduced today which would ensure the Bill would not affect individuals who sold on eBay. But that was not my concern, I explained.

My two objections are that

1) this legislation on the face of it appears to conflict with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution(also known as “ the Commerce Clause ”) which prohibits states from enacting legislation that will impede commerce between the states.

and

2) Sellers on eBay are not auctioneers. It is the software on eBay which does the auctioning. eBay sellers are in fact clients of an auctioneer, not auctioneers themselves.

I provided the receptionist with my name, address, and phone number, and indicated that I will be writing a carrier mail letter to express my intense displeasure with Senator Mumper’s role in authoring this legislation.

In case you’d like to do so, too:

Senator Larry A. Mumper
Senate Building
Room 222, Second Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614-466-8049