Vermont committee hears split testimony on H.512 ticket-resale bill; industry and venues disagree on price caps
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Summary
A House committee heard international and local testimony on H.512, which would regulate secondary ticket resale. Venue managers urged a 10% cap to protect local economies; platform representatives urged caution, citing enforcement challenges and integration needs.
The House Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee heard competing views on H.512 on April 1 as witnesses from advocacy groups, venues and ticketing platforms described how secondary ticket markets operate and how a state law might limit consumer harm.
Adam of the Fanfare Alliance, who testified from the U.K., described the group’s campaign against large-scale online ticket touting and summarized proposed U.K. reforms that would ban resale above face value and cap platform service fees. "Ticket resale above face value will be illegal," Adam said, adding that platforms "will have a legal duty to monitor and enforce compliance with the cap." He said the U.K. proposals would still require primary legislation and expected a 12–18 month timeline if enacted.
Eric Millett, executive director of the Paramount Theater in Rutland, urged the committee to act now. "These resell websites are threatening Vermont's local economies as well as the health of arts organizations like the one I run," Millett said, endorsing a 10% cap on resale pricing as a straightforward, practical solution that preserves transfers while removing incentives for large-scale scalpers.
Representatives of resale and ticketing platforms pushed back on price-cap proposals and emphasized operational limits. Joe Freeman, vice president of government relations at SeatGeek, said the company aligns with rights holders and that compliance often requires back-end integration with a venue’s primary ticketing system. He warned that price caps can be difficult to enforce in practice and cited Massachusetts' 2024 experience: "Compliance was virtually impossible," Freeman said, noting the law's eventual repeal.
Jason Webb of Tixel described his platform's experience operating within a capped environment. He said modest caps create "healthier and more trusted marketplaces" and pointed to Australian jurisdictions where caps coexist with low fraud rates. "At a 110% of face value, we consistently see strong participation from real fans on both sides of the transaction," Webb said.
Committee members pressed witnesses on operational details: how a cap would handle repeated resales, whether service fees would compound, whether venues could offer refunds or exchanges, and whether third parties could bundle services to evade caps. Witnesses described tradeoffs among consumer protection, platform interoperability and enforcement resources.
The chair thanked the panel and asked witnesses to submit written testimony for the record; the committee then moved on to other business. The hearing record shows the committee intends further follow-up and may call witnesses back to address enforcement mechanisms and technical integration questions.
