{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lujan-capito-champion-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-ticket-buyers-from-ticket-scams/", "Luj\u00e1n, Capito Champion Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Ticket Buyers from Ticket Scams", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n", "L000570", "www.lujan.senate.gov", "lujan", "https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) introduced the Guaranteeing Honest Ownership in Secondary Ticketing (GHOST) Act, legislation to protect fans and concertgoers from deceptive ticket resale practices by prohibiting resellers from selling tickets they do not actually possess.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to introduce this legislation to protect ticket buyers because when New Mexicans spend their hard-earned money on a concert or event, they deserve to know the ticket they are buying actually exists,\u201d said Senator Luj\u00e1n. \u201cToo often, fans are misled into purchasing tickets from resellers who don\u2019t even have them. That\u2019s why I introduced the GHOST Act to protect consumers, hold bad actors accountable, and bring greater transparency and fairness to the ticket marketplace.\u201d\n\n\u201cWest Virginians who spend their hard-earned money on tickets to see their favorite artist, team, or event should be able to trust that the tickets they\u2019re purchasing actually exist. Unfortunately, deceptive practices in the resale market can leave consumers paying inflated prices for tickets that sellers don\u2019t even possess. I\u2019m proud to support this legislation, which includes commonsense protections that will bring greater transparency and accountability to the ticket marketplace and ensure a fairer ticket-buying experience,\u201d Senator Capito said.\n\nToo often, consumers unknowingly purchase \u201cspeculative\u201d or \u201cghost\u201d tickets listed by resellers who do not actually have the tickets they are advertising. In some cases, buyers may not learn until shortly before an event that their tickets are unavailable, leaving them with little time to find legitimate replacements that may be sold out or significantly more expensive. Currently, there is no federal law specifically prohibiting speculative ticketing. The GHOST Act would establish nationwide protections to prevent resellers from advertising and selling tickets they do not possess.\n\nSpecifically, the GHOST Act would:\n\nBan ticket resellers from selling tickets they do not have actual possession of;\n\nEmpower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take action against violators and seek injunctive and monetary relief;\n\nRequire the FTC to establish a website where consumers can report potential violations of the GHOST Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016; and\n\nAllow state attorneys general to bring actions to enforce the law.\n\nThe legislation is supported by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).\n\nFull bill text is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lujan-capito-champion-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-ticket-buyers-from-ticket-scams/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7349411025643349, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}