# 119-s-196: MAIN Event Ticketing Act

119-s-196, MAIN Event Ticketing Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-196
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-196
- Congress: 119
- Title: MAIN Event Ticketing Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-01-22
- Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Deterring automated circumvention of online ticketing rules** is the bill's main goal. It would expand the law against ticket‑buying bots, force ticket sellers to strengthen technical controls and reporting, and give the Federal Trade Commission new civil enforcement tools and interagency duties. - Consumers and ticket buyers: The bill would aim to reduce bot success and improve site security. It requires sellers to fix known weaknesses and report circumvention incidents and complaints to the FTC within 30 days. - Online ticket issuers and platforms: Issuers would have to implement and regularly evaluate access controls and other technological measures to enforce posted buying limits. They must take reasonable steps to address known causes of circumvention and share reports with state attorneys general as appropriate. - Enforcement and law enforcement: The FTC would get authority to bring civil actions for violations and seek penalties that include at least $10,000 per day and additional per‑violation fines including higher penalties for intentional violations. The bill also calls for FBI and Department of Justice coordination with the FTC on cyberattack information and an FTC report to Congress on enforcement within one year.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Coordination on ticketing cyberattacks: benefit, low. If enacted, the FBI, Attorney General, and state or local law enforcement would coordinate with the FTC about cyberattacks on ticketing controls. They could share ongoing investigation information but could exclude classified or sensitive details. The bill would define 'cyberattack' to include disa…
- FTC guidance and enforcement limits: benefit, low. If enacted, the FTC would have to publish compliance guidance for the new ticketing rules within one year. The guidance would not create legal rights or bind parties. The FTC could not base enforcement actions only on inconsistency with guidance without alleging a specific statutory violation.
- New rules for online ticket sellers: cost, low. If enacted, online ticket sellers would be treated as 'online ticket issuers' when they regularly sell tickets on a website. They would need to use and keep up access controls to enforce posted ticket limits and fix known bypasses. They would have to report known circumvention incidents to the FTC…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-1874: Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-725: Enhancing First Response Act
- 119-s-1746: Quantum LEAP Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-196 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/196)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-1874: Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1874)
- [119-s-725: Enhancing First Response Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-725)
- [119-s-1746: Quantum LEAP Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1746)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-196 (as of 2026-09-10).