Rep. Harris plan advances to House floor

State Rep. Mike Harris on Wednesday led the House Judiciary Committee in approving his bipartisan plan for “Change,” which will crack down on bots circumventing online purchase limits and buying large numbers of event tickets for resale.

When asked if they were “…Ready for It?” the Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to advance House Bills 4262 and 4263. The bills, introduced by Harris, R-Waterford, and Rep. Mike McFall, D-Hazel Park, crack down the growing problem of bots buying up tickets to concerts, sports games, and other live entertainment. The problem was especially widespread during Taylor Swift’s popular Eras Tour.

Harris, who represents the Oakland County district containing Pine Knob Music Theatre, said the bills will enable Michigan residents to enjoy events without forking over large payments to ticket bot operators.

“These days, buying tickets for popular shows or sporting events is like navigating a ‘Labyrinth’ because of the cheaters who ‘Mastermind’ ticket bot plots,” Harris said. “People just hope they’re ‘The Lucky One’ and can get a reasonably priced ticket before the bots buy them all up. By empowering state prosecutors to impose some ‘Karma’ on unethical bot operators, our bipartisan plan will bring more affordable ‘Happiness’ to fans.”

HBs 4262 and 4263 would authorize the Michigan Department of Attorney General to pursue legal action against individuals or groups circumventing online ticket purchasing limits through the use of automated bots. Anyone who violates the law would face penalties — civil fines of up to $5,000 per ticket fraudulently obtained.

A national consensus is emerging for state-level consumer protection legislation against the use of bots for ticket purchasing. Several states, like Arizona and Iowa, have passed or are advancing similar pieces of legislation. Federal law also restricts ticket bots, and the state-level ban will enable state law enforcement to address the problem, too.

HBs 4262 and 4263 now proceed to the entire House of Representatives for consideration.