Ticketing reforms long championed by Pallone, Pascrell approved in House committee

A bill that mandates more transparency in ticket pricing – a key priority for two New Jersey congressmen, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) – was approved in the House Energy & Commerce Committee on a voice vote today.

As Pallone noted, the TICKET Act (short for Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing) was initially supposed to be included in a bipartisan government funding package last year, until that package was blown up due to disapproval from Elon Musk and some congressional Republicans. Now, at least, one of Pallone’s priorities that had been in that package can begin working its way through Congress.

“We had a deal to pass the TICKET Act last year as part of a broader spending agreement but that deal was blown up by a tweet from billionaire Elon Musk,” said Pallone, the ranking Democrat on the Energy & Commerce Committee. “A billionaire torpedoed a bipartisan consumer protection package, and Republicans let it happen. Today’s vote moves us one step closer to finally delivering relief for fans.”

Last Congress, Pallone and Pascrell had both pushed for a different bill, the Better Oversight of Stub Sales and Strengthening Well Informed and Fair Transactions for Audiences of Concert Ticketing (BOSS and SWIFT) Act, that similarly focused on ticket transparency and junk fees.

The TICKET Act doesn’t go as far as that legislation, but Pallone said it’s still a worthy endeavor for Congress to pass. Something that he said is not a worthy endeavor, though, was President Donald Trump’s executive order (signed last week alongside Kid Rock) that takes aim at ticket scalpers.

“Trump’s executive order was nothing more than a headline grab,” Pallone argued. “If Republicans are serious about fixing this broken system, they should work with us to bring the TICKET Act up for a vote on the House floor right away. Our bill actually delivers real reforms that consumers have been demanding for years.”

Also approved by the committee today was a bill authored by Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), the Communications Security Act, which provides the Federal Communications Commission the authority to establish a council focused on the security and reliability of communications networks.