AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) announced that he is working on legislation to improve the purchasing of tickets for live events.
In a roundtable discussion at the Moody Center on Friday, Cornyn heard from fans about their negative experiences with purchasing tickets, which ranged from dealing with bots and scalpers to hidden fees and more.
One of the nation's premier ticket retailers, Ticketmaster, came under fire late last year when tickets for Taylor Swift's tour went on sale to the public. Fans were forced to wait for hours online, while scalpers purchased tickets and subsequently gouged the prices.
"What we need to do is make sure the scalpers, the box can't jack up those prices to exorbitant levels. That's really what the problem we're looking at," Cornyn said.
Cornyn said the goal of the legislation he is working on will be to address ticket gouging and increase transparency in pricing decisions.
Cornyn has yet to file the bill, stating that he wishes to hear from more stakeholders regarding ticketing practices.