TICKET Act Passed by U.S. House in Overwhelming Bipartisan Fashion

The TICKET Act (H. R. 1402) got one step closer to becoming law on Tuesday, passing the full House of Representatives by a broad, bipartisan 409-15 vote. The bill is substantially similar to the Senate version, which has passed out of committee and is awaiting a vote by the full senate.

The Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act — considered by many to be the most comprehensive ticketing consumer protection legislation in nearly a decade — mandates all-in pricing upfront with no hidden fees, bans deceptive “speculative” ticketing, ends deceptive websites with misleading URLs, and creates refund requirements to help fans get money back after a show is cancelled or postponed for a long time. Additionally, the bill requests an FTC BOTS Report.

“Our bill brings much-needed transparency to the whole ticketing industry, and I’m committed to working to get these reforms passed,” says Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who co-sponsored the House bill with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) in the last Congress, then again for the new congress in February of this year. “These reforms protect consumers, and help bring certainty to the marketplace.”

In Tuesday’s vote, all 207 Democratic representatives voted yes on the bill. Republican reps went 202-15 in favor, with nine members of congress absent from the vote.

Given its significant alignment with almost all of the priorities put forward with President Trump’s recent executive order regarding ticketing, the TICKET Act is expected to continue to enjoy broad bipartisan support, and many believe it to be strongly likely to pass into law this congress.

“The House has once again made clear: consumers deserve transparency and fairness when buying event tickets,” said John Breyault, NCL VP of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud. “This legislation puts an end to hidden fees and deceptive resale practices that have cheated fans for too long. With the House having acted, the Senate must now move swiftly to pass the TICKET Act and send it to the President’s desk. With so many live events coming this summer, consumers can’t afford more delays.” 

“With another overwhelming bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives has reaffirmed what consumer advocates, artists, venues, and industry leaders all agree on: it’s time for transparency in ticketing,” said Brian Hess, Executive Director of Sports Fans Coalition. “We thank Chair Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, Chair Bilirakis, and Ranking Member Schakowsky for their tireless advocacy on behalf of fans. The TICKET Act delivers all-in pricing and comprehensive protections against deceptive practices that have plagued the ticket resale market for too long. We urge the Senate to pass the TICKET Act without delay. Together, we can build a marketplace that works for fans.”

TICKET Act has largely been seen as a compromise bill in the ticket reform battle that has raged since the crash-and-burn disaster of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour sales process in 2022. While longtime Ticketmaster foes like Rep. Pascrell pushed for comprehensive reform through the BOSS and SWIFT Act, and Live Nation/Ticketmaster and its venue and artist management allies in the “Fix The Tix” coalition pushed for ticketing laws that would effectively extend the primary box office monopoly into ticket resale, TICKET Act emerged as a middle path, supported in public almost unanimously.

That support, however, was shown to be hollow from the industry side when the bill was poised to pass as part of a December “Continuing Resolution” spending package. Organizations tied to “Fix The Tix” began a campaign to see the bill – which they publicly supported – stripped out of the CR, in hopes of returning in the new year to push once again for the Live Nation/Ticketmaster backed “FAIR” ticketing system.

The bill was removed from the CR, and Live Nation has swung back to supporting the passage of the TICKET Act in 2025.

“We’re grateful to Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Jan Schakowsky, Chairman Brett Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for re-introducing the TICKET Act, which includes an all-in pricing mandate and bans speculative ticketing – a deceptive scheme that targets concert-going fans,” Live Nation said in a statement shared with Hypebot in April when the bill passed out of the House committee. “Live Nation has long advocated for such reforms, and we’re hopeful Congress could soon pass these important changes into law to make the concert industry better for fans and artists.”

READ MORE: Live Nation Supports TICKET Act, Independents Do Not

Live Nation’s “Fix The Tix” allies in the independent venue and talent management space remain opposed to TICKET Act, continuing to lobby hard for the “FAIR” ticketing reforms that many have argued would empower companies like Live Nation to regulate their own industry.