With broad backing from both parties, the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act (TICKET Act) is now one step nearer to being enacted into law.
The lawmakers officially approved this recent iteration during a House Energy and Commerce committee markup session today. Almost all participating representatives supported the reintroduced TICKET Act, which is gaining momentum in the Senate as well.
(Apart from this four-hour session, the House committee also reviewed another 25 bills, including the American Music Tourism Act.)
For those who have been tracking the legislation’s long path, this likely isn’t surprising. Prior to being removed from a spending bill at the end of last year, the TICKET Act was approved with strong support in the House.
We've spent quite a few years working on this legislation — it's been around for about two years," Representative Jan Schakowsky stated during today’s hearing. "We shouldn’t face any issues at present because we’re aware that the House of Representatives has approved this bill almost entirely without opposition. Additionally, we’ve consistently had supporters from both sides of the aisle.
The most significant aspect of the TICKET Act is that it would require full disclosure pricing. This means that ticket platforms must show prices inclusive of fees from the very beginning.
Beyond the corridors of Congress, numerous stakeholders have shown support for this crucial provision, as well as the bill overall. At the forefront of these supporters is Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster; indications point towards the leading event organizer potentially gaining advantages from this legislation.
Regardless, the brief TICKET Act would additionally prohibit speculative ticket listings, which refers to advertisements for tickets that the sellers do not genuinely own. However, potential loopholes appear quite easy to navigate around.
As long as the relevant listings are appropriately marked, ticket marketplaces can continue to permit the sale of services To acquire still unobtained passes, the TICKET Act’s text indicates this. In other terms, it seems that the bill won’t completely ban speculative tickets.
A different part of the legislation outlines strengthened rules for ticket refunds in cases where events are rescheduled or cancelled. Additionally, the TICKET Act mandates that the FTC produce a report on the underenforced BOTS Act.
(President Trump’s executive order issued on March 31 directs the FTC to "strictly enforce" the BOTS Act. Additionally, at the start of 2025, the MAIN Event Ticketing Act was reintroduced; essentially, this legislation aims to strengthen the enforcement capabilities of the BOTS Act.)
In a statement shared with DMN, the National Consumers League applauded the TICKET Act as “the solution that millions of fans have been seeking.”
“This bill is the solution that millions of fans have been seeking to finally get rid of hidden junk fees, crack down on predatory ticket resale practices, and guarantee refunds in the event of event postponements and cancellations,” VP of public policy, telecommunications, and fraud John Breyault said in part.
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