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Intern says testimony supported H.512’s upfront pricing and 10% cap, lawmakers raised implementation questions
Summary
An intern reported that testimony from a State Theatre Presents representative backed H.512, which would require raw upfront pricing, ban speculative resales and set a 10% cap; senators questioned whether the cap applies before or after fees and whether resellers could game the limit.
Abbott Saddles, a VPM legislative intern, told the House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development that Senate discussion of H.512 focused on limits for event-ticket resales and clearer upfront pricing. Abbott said Lauren Wayne of State Theatre Presents (Portland, Maine) testified in favor of the bill and described Maine’s LD 913 as a working model.
Abbott summarized key provisions: H.512 would require raw upfront pricing information, ban speculative ticket selling and include a 10% cap on resale price increases. Committee members in the Senate hearing raised two recurring concerns Abbott relayed: whether the 10% cap applies to the ticket’s original price before fees or to the price after fees, and whether resellers could repeatedly transfer tickets among themselves to circumvent the cap. Abbott said Maine has not seen extensive abuse of the cap and that problematic cases are typically referred to the Attorney General.
Why it matters: The bill aims to increase price transparency for consumers and limit deceptive resale practices, which supporters say will help Vermonters and local venues. Abbott said senators were generally positive but expected additional drafting and clarifying language before advancing the measure.
No committee action on H.512 was taken during the intern briefing.
