Michigan House passes Taylor Swift ticket bot bills, Senate bolsters roadway protections

Action in the Michigan Legislature on Tuesday saw the House of Representatives pass long-awaited bills to curb bots for gobbling up concert and event tickets en masse, while the Senate advanced enhanced traffic penalties to protect bicyclists and others on state roads.

In the House, legislation was advanced with strong bipartisan support to ban the use of bots to purchase large quantities of event tickets. The bills were inspired by Taylor Swift fans who got burned by ticket bots during the singer-songwriter’s Eras Tour. The bills are sponsored by state Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) and state Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park), House Bill 4262 and House Bill 4263, respectively.

Multiple hearings on the bills were serious in nature but carried a light tone, rife with nods to Swift’s music and lyrics.

That did not change as Harris and McFall celebrated the package moving to the Senate on Tuesday.

“‘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. And after the inflation Michigan families experienced in recent years, expensive tickets are part of a ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts,’” Harris said in a statement. “‘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.’”

Together, the bills would allow the Michigan Department of Attorney General to pursue legal action against anyone using automated technology to circumvent online ticket purchasing limits. The penalties include civil fines of up to $5,000 per ticket purchased using an automated bot.

A Senate version of the package – Senate Bill 158 and Senate Bill 159 – are nearing passage in the upper chamber.

Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday passed a two-bill package sponsored by state Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo) and state Sen. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell), which aims to protect bicyclists, pedestrians and others on roadways.

Senate Bill 216 and Senate Bill 217 would enhance penalties against motorists convicted of moving violations that also resulted in them striking vulnerable people on roadways with their vehicles.

“Whether walking to a friend’s house, cycling out on rural roads, or crossing the street in a wheelchair – everyone deserves to use our roads to get to where they need to go safe and sound,” McCann said in a statement. “By increasing accountability for drivers to share the roads with all who navigate them, we can prevent needless tragedies from occurring and ultimately save lives.”

The changes were hailed as comprehensive but simple updates to the state’s “move over” traffic law, which requires motorists to slow down or move over into a different lane when encountering stationary vehicles with flashing, rotating or oscillating lights.

Albert in a statement said the law would be easy to follow and communicate publicly, aiding enforcement in situations that apply to every situation when a vehicle is pulled over and using its warning lights.

“This change will help make roadways safer for all – especially those in or near stationary vehicles,” Albert said.

The bills now move to the House, where the chamber is mulling its own version of the same bills from state Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and state Rep. Pauline Wendzel (R-Midland), House Bill 4334 and House Bill 4335, respectively.