State Rep. Timmy Beson on Tuesday voted for plans that will protect residents and families from costly hikes on event ticket prices that originate from bad actors.

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

House Bills 4262-63 ban the use of bots to avoid ticket purchase limits. The proposals have been dubbed the “Taylor Swift” bills because of the prominence of the ticket bot problem during Swift’s 2023-24 Eras Tour.

“As a state, we are blessed with tons of great entertainment,” said Beson, of Bay City. “There are a variety of high-profile concerts and shows at great venues. Our state is home to one of the best teams in baseball and there’s good football played here too. Unfortunately, consumers are often victims of schemes that use technology to go and buy up a bunch of tickets and then sell them for prices hardworking people and families can’t afford. These bills will help curtail that ridiculous practice while promoting fairness. Other states are passing similar protections, and we must make sure Michigan is a leader in looking out for consumers.”

The bills 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.

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 4262-63 now advance to the Senate for consideration.