Armstrong’s STOP Act passes House committee

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Dec. 6 passed a bipartisan bill offered by U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) as part of a legislative package addressing live event ticketing that now heads to the full chamber for consideration.

The Speculative Ticketing Oversight and Prohibition (STOP) Act, H.R. 6568, which Rep. Armstrong sponsored on Dec. 4 with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), would prohibit speculative ticketing, a practice used by secondary ticket resellers to list event tickets for resale, despite not having the tickets in-hand, according to a bill summary provided by the congressman’s staff. 

If enacted, the bill also would prohibit resellers from using deceptive websites to mislead consumers into thinking they are buying tickets directly from the venue, team, or artist, the summary says. 

“When someone buys tickets to see their favorite show, artist, or team, they expect the tickets to be the real deal,” Rep. Armstrong said. “Too often these tickets are fraudulent or priced artificially high compared to the actual list price.”

At the same time, he said there is nothing that requires a website or company to actually have the tickets they are selling. 

“The STOP Act will end the practice of speculative ticketing, crack down on misleading websites, and provide clear, upfront disclosure of the ticket price and any associated fee,” said the lawmaker. “These common-sense, pro-consumer measures are long overdue.”

H.R. 6568 passed the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee after being combined with the bipartisan Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act, H.R. 3950, which Rep. Schakowsky and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced in June.

“The bipartisan TICKET Act that unanimously passed 45-0 out of committee [on Dec. 6], as amended with the STOP Act led by Rep. Kelly Armstrong, will transform the experience of buying event tickets online,” said House E&C Committee members. “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.”