[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4995 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4995

To require the disclosure of service and other charges on tickets, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 19, 1994

  Mr. Dingell (for himself, Mr. Condit, and Mr. Swift) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the disclosure of service and other charges on tickets, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ticket Fee Disclosure Act of 1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) sellers and resellers of entertainment and sporting 
        event tickets often impose service charges and fees or other 
        additional fees and charges, in excess of the face amount of 
        such tickets, to consumers who purchase such tickets;
            (2) consumers who desire to purchase entertainment and 
        sporting event tickets are entitled to full, complete, and 
        clear disclosure of any such additional charges or fees;
            (3) the failure by sellers and resellers of entertainment 
        and sporting event tickets to provide full, complete, and clear 
        disclosure of any such additional charges or fees constitutes 
        an unfair and deceptive act or practice in or affecting 
        commerce within the meaning of section 5 of the Federal Trade 
        Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45); and
            (4) sellers and resellers of entertainment and sporting 
        event tickets should be required to disclose to potential 
        purchasers of such tickets the amount of any additional fees 
        and charges beyond the face amount of such tickets, and to have 
        the amount of such charges or fees imprinted on the ticket or 
        on a receipt evidencing any such ticket sale.

SEC. 3. DISCLOSURE OF SERVICE CHARGES OR ADDITIONAL TICKET FEES.

    It is unlawful for any seller or reseller (including any ticket 
broker) of entertainment or sporting event tickets--
            (1) to fail to disclose to a purchaser of an entertainment 
        or sporting event ticket, prior to any purchase of such ticket, 
        any fee, charge, or assessment (other than a tax or other levy 
        imposed pursuant to Federal, State, or local law) to be imposed 
        in excess of the face amount of the ticket, and
            (2) to fail to have the amount of any such fee, charge, or 
        assessment imprinted on the ticket or on a receipt evidencing 
        any such ticket sale.

SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 3 shall be enforced by the Federal Trade 
Commission under the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et 
seq.). Consequently, no activity which is outside the jurisdiction of 
that Act shall be affected by this Act.
    (b) Actions by the Federal Trade Commission.--The Federal Trade 
Commission shall prevent any person from violating section 3 in the 
same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, 
and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal 
Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and 
made a part of this Act. Any person who violates section 3 shall be 
subject to the privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade 
Commission Act in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same 
jurisdiction, power, and duties, as though all applicable terms and 
provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act were incorporated into 
and made a part of this Act.
    (c) Treatment of Violations.--Any violation of section 3 shall be 
treated as a violation of a rule under section 18 of the Federal Trade 
Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or 
practices.
    (d) Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing contained in this Act shall be 
construed to limit the authority of the Federal Trade Commission under 
any other provision of law.

SEC. 5. ACTIONS BY STATES.

    Whenever an attorney general of any State has reason to believe 
that the interests of the residents of that State have been or are 
being threatened or adversely affected because any person has engaged 
or is engaging in an act or practice in violation of section 3, the 
State may bring a civil action on behalf of its residents in an 
appropriate district court of the United States to enjoin such act or 
practice, to enforce compliance of section 3, to obtain damages, 
restitution, or other compensation on behalf of residents of such 
State, or to obtain such further and other relief as the court may deem 
appropriate.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``attorney general'' means the chief legal 
        officer of a State.
            (2) The term ``State'' means any State of the United 
        States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern 
        Mariana Islands, and any territory or possession of the United 
        States.
                                 <all>