AWC is seeking feedback on potential impacts of HB 1648, which is intended to provide concert ticket buyers with additional protection from electronic bots that circumvent online ticket sales security and increased costs from ticket resellers. It stems from a recent incident involving concert ticket sales – hints for which one in song lyrics that might be included in some of the bill text.

The bill takes a number of steps to protect event ticket consumers by:

• Creating a new consumer protection act violation for circumventing ticket seller security measures
• Establishing a ticket sales license for ticket sellers or resellers
• Requiring ticket sellers and resellers to make certain disclosures to admission tickets consumers
• Limiting ticket delivery fees and "dynamic pricing" on tickets

However, section 10 of the bill includes a broad preemption for “all existing or future laws enacted by a county, city, town, or other political subdivision” regarding the sale of admission tickets to events. Some cities have expressed concern that this could impact authority for local ordinances on ticket sales such as the local five percent admissions tax imposed by many cities and public facilities districts.

If you have additional examples of local impacts, please let us know.

Date to remember

HB 1648 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Consumer Protection & Business Committee on Wednesday, February 8 at 1:30 pm.