Bill
HB 1159
Requires vendors issuing digital event tickets to provide a physical copy on request to the purchaser, free of charge except up to $10 shipping/handling.
Summary
- Purpose: To require vendors who deliver event admission tickets in digital form to provide a physical (paper) copy to a purchaser on request, at no charge except for an allowable shipping/handling fee of up to $10.
- Short title/location: Creates and enacts a new section in chapter 51‑07 of the North Dakota Century Code (new section concerning “Event tickets — Physical copies”).
- Sponsor(s) (ND version): Representatives Murphy, Bahl, Dockter, Grindberg, Ista, Jonas, Koppelman, Osowski; Senator Barta.
Key provisions
- Applicability: Applies when an individual purchases a ticket required for admission to an event and the vendor provides that ticket in digital format.
- Right to a physical ticket: The purchaser may request a physical copy of the ticket.
- Vendor obligation: The vendor must provide the physical copy.
- Cost to purchaser: The physical copy must be provided at no charge, except the vendor may charge up to ten dollars ($10) in shipping and handling fees.
Who would be affected
- Ticket purchasers/attendees: Individuals who prefer or require paper tickets (e.g., no smartphone, limited connectivity, accessibility or privacy concerns).
- Ticket vendors and sellers: Primary sellers, venues, promoters, and third‑party/online ticketing platforms that currently issue tickets digitally.
- Event venues and staff: Procedures at entrances may need to accommodate different ticket formats.
- Small businesses: Smaller promoters or independent venues that rely on digital‑only ticketing may face printing/mail costs and operational changes.
Procedural / timeline status
- Filed: November 12, 2024 (bill text: new section to NDCC ch. 51‑07).
- Read first time / referred: Read first time March 7, 2025; referred to Elections (per bill actions list).
- Final action: The bill did not become law. Records indicate the bill died in committee at sine die adjournment; other action records show a second‑reading vote (failed — yeas 27, nays 67). (Sources include legislative action entries for the bill; no effective date or enactment occurred.)
Practical considerations and likely impacts
- Operational changes: Vendors may need procedures to print and mail tickets, or to hold paper tickets for pickup, and to train staff on handling mixed ticket formats.
- Costs: Direct cost of printing and postage/handling (limited by the $10 cap). Those costs may be borne by vendors (if they absorb the fee) or passed to purchasers via the $10 charge. Administrative burden could increase, particularly for small vendors.
- Security and fraud: Venues and ticketing platforms may need to adapt anti‑fraud and admission-control practices to accommodate paper tickets while maintaining security.
- Enforcement: The proposed text sets the obligation but does not specify enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or an implementing agency in the statute text; absent additional language, enforcement would rely on existing consumer protection or regulatory authorities.
Notes
- The bill text is narrowly focused: it addresses only the duty to supply a physical copy when a digital ticket was provided and caps shipping/handling at $10. It does not carve out exceptions (for example, for certain types of events or resale platforms), nor does it define enforcement remedies in the enacted language.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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