What's happening
This bill makes it illegal to resell or offer to resell tickets that were originally provided to the public for free.
Why it matters
Prevents profiteering from free events. By making it illegal to resell tickets that were originally free, the bill aims to ensure that free community, cultural, or charitable events remain accessible to everyone, rather than allowing individuals or companies to exploit these tickets for monetary gain.
Protects equal access. This law helps maintain fairness by preventing ticket scalpers from acquiring free tickets in bulk and reselling them, which could otherwise limit access for individuals who genuinely wish to attend but cannot afford inflated prices.
Supports event organizers’ intentions. The legislation reinforces the purpose behind offering free tickets—such as outreach, inclusivity, or public benefit—by restricting secondary markets that undermine these goals.
May impact online resale platforms. Ticket resale websites and marketplaces would need to monitor and restrict listings of free tickets, potentially requiring new compliance measures and enforcement mechanisms.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Free Ticket Resale
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 7011b
- Amend (t) and recommit to investigations and government operations
- Print number 7011a
- Amend (t) and recommit to investigations and government operations
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Free Ticket Resale
In Assembly Committee · Tourism, Parks, Arts And Sports Development · Sponsor Michael Cusick
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7011--B
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 3, 2018
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to the resale of tickets issued at no charge
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The arts and cultural affairs law is amended by adding a new section 25.06 to read as follows:
§ 25.06. Resale of tickets issued at no charge. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to resell or offer to resell any ticket or other evidence of right of entry to any place of entertainment if the ticket was initially offered to the public at no charge.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the forty-fifth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that section 25.06 of the arts and cultural affairs law, as added by section one of this act, shall survive the expiration and reversion of article 25 of such law as provided in section 4 of chapter 704 of the laws of 1991, as amended.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00529-04-8
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to the resale of tickets issued at no charge
Purpose
To prevent the resale of tickets to events benefiting not-for-profit organizations from being sold for a price higher than the established price printed on the ticket.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 makes it unlawful to resell any ticket to an event originally offered to the public at no charge.
Justification
Entertainment events from which significant ticket revenue is dedicated to not-for-profit organizations generate large amounts of money for important and sometimes urgent causes.
Some individuals and organizations are making significant profit from reselling these tickets, meant for charitable causes, at greatly inflated prices. Money generated by ticket sales from these events is meant to go to the designated not-for-profit organizations and to defray the costs associated with putting on the shows, not to those that can resell the tickets to the highest bidder.
This bill would make sure that any revenue gained from ticket sales for charitable events stays where it is intended -- with the charity or not for profit.
Legislative history
2016: S571/A8508 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS/ referred to tourism, parks, arts and sports development 2015: S571/A8508 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS/ referred to tourism, parks, arts and sports development 2013-2014: S838/A9637 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPER- ATIONS
Fiscal implications
This bill would have no significant fiscal impact.
Effective date
This act shall take effect forty five days after it has become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.