The State House of Representatives Criminal
Justice Committee took up legislation that would repeal the ban on reselling
tickets for public events at higher prices than face value, otherwise referred
to as “scalping.”
The bill, House
Bill 5108, would also eliminate various other provisions including:
prohibiting a person from establishing an agency for the sale of a seat ticket,
making the owner or manager of a venue where a scalper was selling tickets as
liable and guilty as the scalper, and prohibiting a person from selling a
nontransferable ticket that contains the name of the person who originally
bought the ticket.
State Representative Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw
Township) is sponsoring the bill, and asserts that it is a simple change to a
1931 law.
Opponents maintain that repealing the ban
would take away the power for venues to prevent scalpers conducting business on
their own property. In fact, some artists have already claimed they would not
perform in Michigan again if the bill was enacted.
The Committee Chair, Representative Kurt
Heise (R-Plymouth Township) said the committee will hear additional testimony
on the bill next week. Many of those wishing to testify had not gotten the
chance to do so before the committee ended.