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House approves twin bills to curb ticket‑buying bots, fines up to $5,000 per ticket
Summary
The Michigan House passed House Bills 4262 and 4263, measures aimed at stopping automated bots from buying large numbers of event tickets; the bills give enforcement authority to the attorney general and impose civil fines.
The Michigan House on June 24 passed two bills aimed at stopping automated “bot” operators from scooping up event tickets and reselling them at inflated prices.
Representative Jason Harris, who spoke on the package on the House floor, said the bills are intended to prevent bad actors from “program[ming] bots to break through these security measures and grab up hundreds or thousands of tickets within seconds.” He described the measures as giving the attorney general authority to bring cases and imposing civil fines of up to $5,000 for each ticket fraudulently obtained.
The bills — House Bill 4262, “to provide for certain investigations for violating the event online ticket sales act,” and House Bill 4263, “to regulate the online sale of tickets for entertainment events” — were placed on third reading and then passed. The clerk recorded final tallies of 104 ayes and 1 nay for House Bill 4262 and 104 ayes and 1 nay for House Bill 4263. The majority floor leader then moved for immediate effect; the motion for immediate effect was ordered for both bills, signaling the Legislature intended the laws to take effect without delay.
Supporters framed the bills as a consumer‑protection measure. Representative Harris invoked widely known examples of high‑profile ticket shortages and said the bills would help fans of concerts and sporting events obtain tickets “straight from the source” instead of being forced to buy from resellers. He noted venues across Michigan — from large stadiums to local clubs — would benefit from reducing automated scalping.
No floor debate opposing the bill package was recorded in the transcript prior to the roll call votes. The clerk closed and displayed the roll and announced the tallies. The passage and immediate‑effect motions were procedural steps taken on the House floor and do not themselves implement enforcement details; those would follow under the legislation and any implementing guidance from the attorney general’s office.
The House did not specify implementation dates or transitional rules on the floor; those details will appear in the bills as enrolled and in any guidance from the enforcing agency.
