This week, the House passed bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting Michigan eventgoers from unfairly expensive ticket price hikes. The bills have been nicknamed the “Taylor Swift” bills because of the prominence of the ticket bot problem during her Eras Tour.
Key Points:
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- House Bills 4262 and 4263 were introduced by Representatives Mike Harris (R-Waterford) and Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park).
- The bills ban the use of bots to avoid ticket purchase limits.
- It authorizes the Department of Attorney General to pursue legal action against anyone circumventing online ticket purchasing limits through the use of automated bots.
- Anyone who violates the law would face civil fines of up to $5,000 per fraudulently obtained ticket.
- Federal law also restricts ticket bots, and the state-level ban will enable state law enforcement to address the problem, too.
- Similar legislation was introduced last term but never made it to the governor’s desk.
Next Steps:
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- The legislation was referred to the Senate Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection Committee for consideration.
- If passed and signed into law, Michigan would join several other states that have already passed similar legislation, including Arizona and Maine.
