Minn. Senate passes “Hannah Montana” bill

The Minnesota State Senate today passed a bill that will make it illegal to use “bot” software to buy up large blocks of tickets. Last year, the state was one of a wave of states to repeal its anti-scalping laws making it legal to resell tickets. The state’s House of Representatives are slated to vote on the bill some time in the near future.

The proposed law, nicknamed the “Hannah Montana” bill, would resemble similar legislation being considered in other states following the ticketing controversy last year involving the popular teen singer. Parents and children were outraged over a lack of tickets to several of the Disney star’s shows, and fingers of blame were pointed in all directions from the promoters to brokers to venue operators.

Minnesota State Sen. Ron Latz was quoted by the Associated Press saying he hopes the bill will help the general public gain better access to event tickets. In the case of the Hannah Montana shows, tens of thousands of tickets were later released by organizers partly in response to the controversy.