# 119-s-5278: GHOST Act

119-s-5278, GHOST Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5278
- As of: 2026-09-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5278
- Congress: 119
- Title: GHOST Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-26

## Summary

**Resellers would have to actually possess tickets before selling them.** This bill would bar any reseller from selling, offering, or advertising an event ticket unless the reseller has physical or virtual possession, and it is aimed at curbing speculative sales and transactions made without possession. - Consumers: Would face fewer listings from sellers who do not hold the ticket, because the law targets sales made without actual possession. - Resellers: Would be prohibited from selling or advertising tickets unless they hold the ticket. Violations carry civil penalties of at least $15,000 per day and per-ticket fines, including an enhanced $10,000 per ticket for intentional violations. - Enforcement and states: The Federal Trade Commission would enforce these rules as unfair or deceptive acts, get rulemaking power, and must create a public complaint website and report to Congress within 180 days and then annually. States could sue under parens patriae to stop violations and obtain damages or restitution.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- State attorneys general can sue: benefit, medium. This bill would let State attorneys general bring parens patriae lawsuits on behalf of their residents for violations. States could seek injunctions, compel compliance, and recover damages or restitution for harmed residents. State investigative powers and ongoing State criminal or civil cases woul…
- Large penalties for ticket resellers: cost, high. This bill would impose large civil penalties on resellers who violate the ban. Penalties would include at least $15,000 for each day a violation continues. It would also add the greater of $1,000 per ticket or five times the total price of the tickets sold or advertised in violation. If a violation…
- Ban on selling tickets you don't own: mixed, medium. This bill would make it illegal for resellers to sell, offer, or advertise an event ticket unless they actually possess that exact ticket. "Actual possession" would include physical or virtual possession of a ticket issued by the ticket issuer. The rule would apply to anyone reselling tickets who i…
- Federal Trade Commission enforcement and reporting: mixed, medium. This bill would let the Federal Trade Commission treat violations as unfair or deceptive acts and use its full enforcement powers. The FTC would be required to make rules to implement the ban under the Administrative Procedure Act. The FTC would also have to set up a public website to accept compla…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-836: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5278 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5278)

## Related
- [119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4668)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-836: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-836)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5278 (as of 2026-09-26).