WELCOME TO THE AMAZON MARKUP — It’s gearing up to be Amazon Week at the House Judiciary Committee, with today’s markup following an antitrust hearing that devoted a big portion to the e-commerce giant (more on that below). Here are two pieces of legislation to know for this morning: — Fighting online dupes: Lawmakers will consider the SHOP SAFE Act, a bipartisan effort to require e-commerce platforms like Amazon to take more responsibility in policing counterfeit goods that are sold on their sites, such as by verifying the identity, location and contact information of sellers, as well as banning repeat offenders. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Amazon spokesperson Alex Haurek said the company was committed to combating counterfeit goods and had invested “significant resources” in doing so. “We recognize that the intent of the SHOP SAFE Act is to ensure that consumers are protected from counterfeit products and we look forward to working with Congress to achieve that goal,” he said in a statement. — Marijuana mitigation: The committee will also take up the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, aimed at legalizing marijuana at the federal level and clearing the criminal records of people with related drug convictions. The bill passed the House last Congress but died in the Senate, where it was sponsored by then-California Sen. Kamala Harris. Amazon announced in June that it supported the bill and would remove cannabis from the company’s pre-employment drug screening process. It reaffirmed that commitment last week and laid out further steps it was taking to support federal legalization. One of the reasons behind the push: Amazon has gone on a pandemic hiring spree, and the company said “eliminating pre-employment testing for cannabis allows us to expand our applicant pool.” GAETZ SAYS ANTITRUST PACKAGE HAS STALLED — During Tuesday’s House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said he was “deeply disappointed” that the committee’s antitrust package hasn’t been called to the House floor for a vote despite the fact that it could solve labor concerns surrounding tech giants like Amazon. “If they were coming to the floor, they would have been on the floor in prior weeks,” he said. “Now, we sit here with this great work likely extinguished in its tracks for one of these unfortunate reasons” — reasons like lobbyists and tech industry CEOs making rounds on the Hill. — Using the weed model: Gaetz said the chamber should take the marijuana legalization movement’s approach to the issue and make gradual progress “year after year,” despite repeated failed votes. “Even if these tech bills can’t pass, I would encourage you to talk to the speaker and put them up for a vote. ... It could at least give us a measuring tool to be able to come back and persuade our other members,” he told subcommittee Chair David Cicilline (D-R.I.). Cicilline, a main sponsor of the package, said he’s committed to bringing the bills to the floor “for a vote that prevails.” LET’S GET IT STARTED — Officials from the U.S. and the EU are gathering today in Pittsburgh for the inaugural meeting of the transatlantic Trade and Technology Council to try to reset their relationship post-Trump. The two sides are expected to release a declaration from the meeting this evening. But even before the summit gets underway, focus is already turning to the next meeting, to be held next spring and most likely in France. This shift of attention highlights what many EU and U.S. officials have been foreshadowing for days: Don’t expect too much from this inaugural get-together. — It didn’t start this way: Early drafts of the council’s final communiqué had tough language around online gatekeepers, but that’s gone now. Instead, the two sides will focus on less sensitive topics, like export screening and what to do about artificial intelligence, according to the latest draft declaration seen by POLITICO. — Let’s do this again: Officials stress that despite a recent Franco-American spat over submarines, which almost prevented today’s TTC meeting, the U.S.’ transatlantic ties remain strong. But this first meeting will focus on getting the council’s 10 working groups underway. Expect more significant action at the next meeting in early 2022 where more long-term discussions about bringing chip manufacturing closer to home and how to govern online platforms, among other things, will take center stage. LET’S TALK ABOUT KHAN — The FTC chair has shaken up the agency in her first 100 days, much to the joy of her fellow progressives. But that’s also caused grumblings, our antitrust guru Leah reports for Pros. (Leah also joined POLITICO Dispatch this morning.) One point of contention: whether the FTC’s new open meetings policy promotes public access or is just transparency theater. Leah and John break that down for Pros in a look at how the FTC and FCC compare. WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES — The Congressional Baseball Game is making its debut tonight on FS1 at 7:05 p.m. The House Energy and Commerce communications and technology panel will be out in full force, with five of its members playing in the annual Democrats vs. Republicans match. Playing for the Democrats: coach Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, who chairs the panel; Tony Cardenas of California; and Marc Veasey of Texas. And representing the Republicans: Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Bill Johnson of Ohio. | 
