HOLDBACKS Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9762 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9762

     To require transparency of ticket sales, prohibit withholding
 information on the number of tickets available to inflate prices, and
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2026

   Ms. Pou introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

     To require transparency of ticket sales, prohibit withholding
 information on the number of tickets available to inflate prices, 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 ``Halting Organizers and Live-Event
Distributors from Boosting Artificial Capacity with Known Seating Act''
or the ``HOLDBACKS Act''.

SEC. 2. TICKET SALE TRANSPARENCY.

    (a) Requirements and Prohibitions.--
            (1) Ticket availability transparency.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
                (B) and not less than 7 days before the date on which
                tickets are first made available for primary sale, a
                primary ticket seller shall disclose clearly and
                conspicuously on the website of the seller and at the
                box office of the venue where an event or performance
                will be held the following:
                            (i) The total number of scheduled
                        occurrences at that venue that will be offered
                        for sale to the general public.
                            (ii) The total number of available tickets
                        that will be offered for sale to the general
                        public by the primary ticket seller for each
                        scheduled occurrence.
                            (iii) The total cost of an individual
                        ticket that will be offered for sale to the
                        general public by the seller for each scheduled
                        occurrence.
                    (B) Exception.--Subparagraph (A) does not apply to
                a sporting event for which the total number of
                scheduled occurrences is not known due to the
                contingent length of the sporting event based on the
                number of wins secured by a team to terminate and end a
                particular series.
            (2) Prohibition on ticket withholding and dynamic
        pricing.--A primary ticket seller may not withhold the sale of
        tickets to the general public for a scheduled occurrence for
        the purpose of--
                    (A) inflating ticket prices beyond fair market
                value based on the availability of tickets known to the
                primary ticket seller at the time; or
                    (B) concealing or otherwise providing misleading
                information on the number of tickets available for sale
                to the public after the primary ticket seller begins
                the initial offering for sale of tickets to the public.
    (b) Enforcement by Federal Trade Commission.--
            (1) Unfair or deceptive acts or practices.--A violation of
        subsection (a) or a regulation promulgated under such
        subsection shall be treated as a violation of a regulation
        under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act
        (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or
        practices.
            (2) Powers of commission.--The Federal Trade Commission
        shall enforce subsection (a) and any regulation promulgated
        under such subsection 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 section. Any person who violates such
        subsection or a regulation promulgated under such subsection
        shall be subject to the penalties and entitled to the
        privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade
        Commission Act.
    (c) Authority Preserved.--Nothing in this section--
            (1) prevents the attorney general of a State from
        exercising the powers conferred on the attorney general by the
        laws of such State to conduct investigations or to administer
        oaths or affirmations or to compel the attendance of witnesses
        or the production of documentary and other evidence; and
            (2) prohibits the attorney general of a State, or other
        authorized State officer, from proceeding in State or Federal
        court on the basis of an alleged violation of any civil or
        criminal statute of that State.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
        Trade Commission.
            (2) Primary sale.--The term ``primary sale'' means, with
        regards to a ticket, the initial sale of a ticket.
            (3) Primary ticket seller.--The term ``primary ticket
        seller'' means an owner or operator of a venue or sports team,
        a manager or provider of an event, or a provider of ticketing
        services (or an agent of such owner, operator, manager, or
        provider) that engages in the primary or initial sale of
        tickets for an event to the general public.
            (4) Scheduled occurrence.--The term ``scheduled
        occurrence'' means a single event or performance by a team,
        performer, or artist.
            (5) Ticket.--The term ``ticket'' means a printed,
        electronic, or other type of evidence of the right for
        admission to a sporting event, theater, musical performance, or
        place of public amusement of any kind, including bundled series
        tickets.
            (6) Total cost of an individual ticket.--The term ``total
        cost of an individual ticket'' means the base price of an
        individual ticket and any charge for an event ticket that must
        be paid in addition to the base event ticket price in order to
        obtain an event ticket from the primary ticket issuer,
        including any service fee, charge and order processing fee,
        delivery fee, facility charge fee, tax, and any other charge.
            (7) Total number of scheduled occurrences.--The term
        ``total number of scheduled occurrences''--
                    (A) means a series of scheduled occurrences that
                takes place at a particular venue under the same title;
                and
                    (B) includes an event or performance in the series
                with a minor change (such as a change of an opening
                performer).
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