State Rep. Mike Harris on Tuesday led the state House of Representatives in approving his bipartisan plan to protect Michigan eventgoers from unfairly expensive ticket prices hiked by bad actors.

Although venues and ticket websites typically set caps on how many tickets an individual can purchase for an event, unscrupulous individuals and groups use automated bots to circumvent these limits, buy large amounts of tickets, and then resell them at exorbitant prices.

Harris, R-Waterford, and Rep. Mike McFall, D-Hazel Park, sponsored House Bills 4262 and 4263 to ban the use of bots to avoid ticket purchase limits. The bills have been dubbed the “Taylor Swift” bills, because of the prominence of the ticket bot problem during Swift’s 2023-2024 Eras Tour.

“‘Mastermind’ bot operators flip their ill-gotten tickets for massive markups, profiting at the expense of real fans — who are left ‘Haunted’ by high prices,” Harris said. “And after the inflation Michigan families experienced in recent years, expensive tickets are part of a ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts.’

“‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.’ But we don’t have to go ‘Dancing with our Hands Tied’ here. Our bipartisan plan will protect consumers by cracking down on the shady characters who use bots to get around purchase caps and resell tickets at ‘Treacherous’ prices.”

HBs 4262 and 4263 would authorize the Michigan Department of Attorney General to pursue legal action against anyone circumventing online ticket purchasing limits through the use of automated bots. Anyone who violates the law would face penalties — civil fines of up to $5,000 per fraudulently obtained ticket.

“The ticket bot problem has gone on too long, and Michiganders should not have to ‘Tolerate It,’” Harris said. “Our state is home to terrific live entertainment venues, from colossal stadiums like Ford Field to casinos and local comedy clubs, and, of course, Pine Knob, the iconic amphitheater in my district. It’s time we take swift action to protect the fun-loving people who enjoy these great Michigan venues. We shouldn’t just shrug or ‘Shake It Off.’ It’s time we ‘Speak Now.’”

A national consensus is emerging for state-level consumer protection legislation against ticket bots. Several states, like Arizona and most recently Maine, have passed similar pieces of legislation. Federal law also restricts ticket bots, and the state-level ban will enable state law enforcement to address the problem, too.

HBs 4262 and 4263 passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support and now advance to the Senate.