We’re within the fourth quarter of the 118th Congress and the clock is ticking quick. There are just a few extra legislative days for Congress to move dozens of payments earlier than this session concludes and the subsequent Congress must begin drafting payments from scratch. One such invoice is HR 3950, the Transparency In Costs for Key Occasions Ticketing Act (TICKET Act). It might repair points which have bedeviled the stay occasion trade for many years. It might require all-in pricing of tickets, ban speculative ticketing, prohibit misleading web sites, require refunds for canceled or postponed exhibits, and require the Federal Commerce Fee to report on the prevalence of bots getting used to buy tickets.
This invoice has been two years within the making. The Senate Judiciary Committee held the primary listening to of the 118th Congress in January 2023, following the meltdown of Ticketmaster’s system when tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour went on sale. The listening to highlighted many well-known issues within the trade. Since then, members of Congress have launched greater than a half-dozen ticketing-related payments to handle these issues. Nevertheless, just one invoice has risen to the highest: the TICKET Act (HR 3950).
The bipartisan TICKET Act, launched by Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Gus Bilirakis unanimously handed the Home Vitality and Commerce Committee, obtained the endorsement of nearly each stay occasion stakeholder concerned within the coverage debate, after which handed the Home 388-24 by a wider margin than the latest persevering with decision obtained. The TICKET Act is much more common than funding our authorities.
Shopper safety teams referred to as the invoice, “a very complete reform bundle.” The Recording Academy mentioned it was “a major step ahead towards enhancing the live performance ticket market. The Coalition for Ticket Equity mentioned that “[b]y empowering customers, this invoice will assist result in a greater ticket shopping for expertise and a more healthy market.” And, the Repair the Tix Coalition, made up of artists and unbiased venues mentioned the TICKET Act was “probably the most complete protections for artists and followers in ticketing that now we have seen in years.”
The invoice has common assist—so why is it languishing within the Senate? Legislative inertia and good old school Senate politics are partly responsible, however monopoly-aligned particular pursuits within the trade are additionally looking for to gum up the works, hoping to get their most well-liked payments handed, even when these payments don’t have consensus assist. If the TICKET Act passes this Congress, followers may see all-in pricing for tickets to music festivals, baseball video games, and theater productions as quickly as subsequent summer time. As a substitute, what ought to be a simple invoice to move in a traditionally unproductive Congress is at risk of turning into a case research within the folly of letting the proper be the enemy of the general public good.
Congress is operating out of time to do one thing good for followers who’ve suffered lengthy sufficient with complicated procuring experiences, out-of-control charges, and misleading resale practices. An omnibus invoice on the finish of the yr is the final legislative car that the TICKET Act can trip to President Joe Biden’s desk. It would simply be the final alternative to offer followers, venues, artists, and client advocates what they’ve been asking for the final two years: a complete client safety bundle for stay event-goers. The clock is ticking. This invoice ought to be a layup. It’s time for Congress to place it within the bucket.
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