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House rejects amendments and passes H512 to regulate event ticket resales
Summary
The Vermont House declined two amendments to H512 that would have exempted certain individual or contracted ticket resales, then passed the bill to regulate the secondary ticket market and cap resale prices. Supporters said the measure protects venues and artists; opponents warned of overbroad enforcement risks.
The Vermont House on Thursday defeated two floor amendments to H512, a bill regulating the event ticketing market, and then passed the bill after third reading.
Representative Donahghue (member from Northfield) offered a divisible amendment that would have exempted "individual Vermoners not involved in business" who resell a ticket purchased for personal use for a single event. Donahghue argued the change would avoid criminalizing everyday neighbor-to-neighbor sales, saying, "If a person ... wants to sell it that they should be regulated by the state. I think we all know that bill would not even have been taken up let alone voted out of a committee." He used a hypothetical of friends seeking four seats for a local hockey game to illustrate why simple personal resales should not be swept into the regulation.
A representative of the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development recommended voting no, telling the body the committee unanimously rejected the first portion of the amendment and citing concerns from the assistant attorney general about enforcement and market confusion. The committee "asks the body to vote no on this amendment," the committee speaker told members.
A second part of the amendment sought to limit an exemption for resales carried out under a written contract by adding an expiration—applying only to contracts executed before July 1, 2026—to close what proponents described as a loophole to the bill's 110% price cap. The member from Ferrisburg explained this change as a clarification to ensure the cap cannot be evaded in the future while allowing pre-existing contracts to be fulfilled.
Committee members and other representatives offered competing views on whether venues should be allowed to negotiate contracts with resellers. A member from Burlington described a plausible business model in which a small flat fee could yield percentage markups that vary by ticket price and argued venues should retain flexibility to contract with resellers.
Both amendments were put to the House and defeated. The presiding officer announced the 'nays' had it in each instance and the bill remained as printed for third reading. H512 then passed on third reading; supporters said the measure will help protect Vermont venues, artists and consumers from abusive resale practices.
The House record does not include a roll-call tally for the final passage of H512 in the transcript provided.
Next steps: With passage on third reading, H512 will proceed according to legislative process (committee referrals and enrolment as required).
