Credit: Bob Coyne
The TICKET Act was passed in the House of Representatives to mandate full disclosure of fees when purchasing tickets.
The current Bill is modeled according to advertising guidelines for the air travel industry, which require full price disclosure before purchase. MP Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and MP Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) are co-sponsors of the bipartisan effort to make ticket prices more transparent to the consumer.
The bill serves as a supplement to a similar bill that Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced in the Senate in April 2023. Both bills follow a hearing by the subcommittee on combating additional surcharges pinned during the checkout process.
“Fans are incredibly frustrated by how difficult it has become to purchase event tickets,” MP Jan Schakowsky said in a statement on the TICKET Act. “With every ticket debacle, from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift and so many more, her frustration grows. Consumers deserve to be protected from fraudulent tickets, surprise charges and excessive fees.”
Senator Maria Cantwell reiterated that opinion in a hearing on Thursday. “The price they say really should be the price you pay. And something can be added to that, but it has to be disclosed.”
The TICKET Act would require a detailed list of the basic ticket price and associated fees. The associated fees must be disclosed at the beginning of a purchase and not only in the middle of the ordering process. Finally, the bill also requires sellers to set their ticket prices in advance for “speculative tickets” or those not actually owned by the seller.
“For an avid fan, there is nothing more disappointing than being tempted by the prospect of an affordable ticket to see their favorite sports team or band, only to find out at checkout later that the final price is significantly higher,” adds Bilirakis. Ticket fees can add significantly to the final cost of ticket prices. According to a, fees can account for between 21% and 58% of the final costs report by the New York Attorney General’s Office.