E&C Leaders Hail Unanimous 45-0 Bipartisan Committee Passage of the TICKET Act

WASHINGTON — Today, Committee Chair Rodgers and Ranking Member Pallone, and, Subcommittee Chair Bilirakis and Subcommittee Ranking Member Schakowsky made the following statement on the passage of H.R. 3950, the “Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act” or “TICKET Act” out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce by a vote of 45-0:

“The bipartisan TICKET Act that unanimously passed 45-0 out of Committee yesterday, as amended with the “STOP Act” led by Rep. Kelly Armstrong, will transform the experience of buying event tickets online. It ends practices that frustrate people who simply want to enjoy a concert, show, or sporting event and will restore fairness and transparency to the ticketing marketplace.”

“We would like to thank our colleagues, both on and off Committee, for their collaboration. This bipartisan achievement is the result of months and years of hard work by Members on both sides of the aisle. Our Committee will continue to lead the way on this effort as we further our work to bring this solution to the House floor.”

The bill passed out of Committee combines H.R. 3950, the “TICKET Act,” and H.R. 6568, the “Speculative Ticketing Oversight and Prohibition Act” or the “STOP Act.” The combined bill:

• Requires the total price of an event ticket be displayed upfront, inclusive of all fees
• Bans the sale of a ticket that a seller does not have (“speculative ticketing”)
• Guarantees refunds for event cancellations and postponements
• Requires clear disclosures and bans deceptive URLs to protect consumers from fraudulent ticketing websites
• Requires the Federal Trade Commission study and report on enforcement of the BOTS Act (Pub.L. 114-274)

The TICKET Act is also endorsed by several leading ticketing, sporting, and entertainment organizations.

National Consumers League

“Live event fans achieved an important victory with today’s vote,” said John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud. “Add-on junk fees for concerts and sporting events have been the bane of consumers’ existence for decades. These reforms are long overdue and promise to make the ticket-buying experience a fairer, easier process for millions of fans.”

International Association of Venue Managers

“We applaud the Committee for recognizing that significant problems exist in ticketing and working with IAVM to help fix them,” said Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM President and CEO. “Venues are on the front line of the ticketing debate and deal directly with consumers harmed by a reckless secondary ticketing system driven solely by profits. Addressing these problems would get at the root cause of escalating ticket prices and allow more consumers to experience the joy of live entertainment at a fair price point per the artist’s request. IAVM congratulates the Committee for this accomplishment and pledges to work tirelessly for its members and member venues until The Ticket Act, H.R. 3950, is enacted into law.

Sports Fans Coalition

"The unanimous vote to pass the TICKET Act out of committee represents the single largest step to reforming a deeply broken market since 2016's BOTS Act." said Brian Hess, Executive Director of Sports Fans Coalition. "Chairman Bilirakis, Ranking Member Schakowsky, and Representative Armstrong have been stalwart champions for consumers of live event tickets, even against tremendous industry pressures. The TICKET Act has been expanded from its original version and is now the most comprehensive, bipartisan solution to be voted on in Congress. Sports Fans Coalition urges leadership to pass this bill expeditiously."

Fix the Tix Coalition

“Artists, fans, and venues deserve a TICKET Act with meaningful protections in addition to transparency. Predatory resellers sell speculative, or fake, tickets to American consumers every day. They use deceptive websites and marketing tactics to trick fans into thinking they are buying tickets from an artist's venue. These practices are blatantly fraudulent, and the TICKET Act advanced out of Committee today bans them. The House Energy & Commerce Committee took bold action today to move forward the most comprehensive protections for artists and fans in ticketing that we have seen in years. We look forward to working with the House to ensure the final version of the TICKET Act delivered to the President’s desk continues to provide the highest level of protection for fans, artists, and venues.”

Protect Ticket Rights

“The ticket reform package passed out of Committee represents the most comprehensive and bipartisan progress in Congress to repair ticketing and protect fans since the passage of the BOTS Act in 2026. It will help to make the ticket buying process more transparent so that consumers are better informed when they search for tickets while also affording fans with new protections including the guarantee of a refund for cancelled events. Best of all, despite efforts to the contrary, this bill doesn’t include handouts to any of the special interests in the live events industry. It should be passed immediately,” said Brian Berry, Advocacy Director for Protect Ticket Rights.

NetChoice

“The TICKET and STOP Acts are the first step in addressing flaws in the event ticket market. They make clear that when a ticket is offered for sale, the seller truly possesses that ticket, and helps create a national standard for ticket sales,” said Carl Szabo, NetChoice Vice President & General Counsel. “While this is an important first step, Congress must also address Ticketmaster’s monopoly and how it has abused its power to harm consumers. As the Justice Department attacks highly competitive marketplaces and companies benefiting consumers, it continues to ignore the clear Ticketmaster monopoly that is hurting Americans.”

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