THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	173
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		Proposed

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

convening a task force to address EVENT ticket scalping in the STATE.

     WHEREAS, live entertainment, cultural performances, and sporting events contribute to the social, cultural, and economic vitality of the State and provide shared community experiences for residents and visitors alike; and

     WHEREAS, residents must often travel between islands or to the mainland to attend many events, raising the costs for local residents to begin with; and

     WHEREAS, in recent years, ticket resellers have begun intentionally purchasing large quantities of event tickets within seconds of their release, dramatically driving up the cost by as much as ten to twenty times the original ticket price, and then forcing local residents who wish to attend that were unable to purchase a ticket within the first few seconds of release to purchase tickets through the ticket resellers at significantly inflated, exploitive prices; and

     WHEREAS, ticket resellers have also begun to resell event tickets at significantly inflated prices even before the tickets were made available for sale in the first place, frequently leaving ticket buyers who thought they had purchased a ticket without an actual ticket to the event; and

     WHEREAS, the supermajority of all tickets purchased for resale are resold by only a few large ticket resellers on the mainland, such as StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats; and

WHEREAS, the automated purchasing practices of ticket resellers that limit fair access to event tickets by local residents and allow the tickets to be rapidly relisted on secondary marketplaces at significantly inflated prices are commonly referred to as a form of ticket scalping; and

     WHEREAS, consumers may be unaware that tickets offered for sale online are resale tickets priced substantially higher than the original face value established by artists, promoters, or primary venue ticket providers; and

WHEREAS, ticket scalping places an unfair financial burden on families and residents who wish to attend events within the State; and

WHEREAS, the State's geographic isolation and limited number of large entertainment venues make the State uniquely vulnerable to ticket scalping because residents do not have alternative tour locations within reasonable travel distance; and

     WHEREAS, when ticket resellers practice ticket scalping, residents are often forced to pay excessive markups or forgo attending events entirely; and

     WHEREAS, revenues generated through ticket scalping frequently flow to out-of-state or offshore resale operators, rather than circulating within the State's local economy and supporting local businesses, workers, and event-related industries; and

     WHEREAS, fair ticketing practices benefit local residents, enable cheaper and easier access to entertainment, and ensure revenues remain within the State; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that a task force is convened to address event ticket scalping in the State; and   

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to:

     (1)  Evaluate the impacts of ticket scalping and inflated ticket resales on the State;

     (2)  Examine and recommend solutions to minimize and prevent unfair ticketing practices that drive up event ticket costs and limit event ticket accessibility for local residents; and

     (3)  Submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2027 and 2028; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to be co-chaired by the Chairs of the House of Representatives and Senate Standing Committees with primary jurisdiction over culture and the arts; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership of the task force is requested to consist of invited members, including:

     (1)  Producers and promoters of events in the State;

     (2)  Owners of event venues in the State;

     (3)  Patrons of events in the State; and

     (4)  Other relevant stakeholders as may be invited by the Chairs of the task force, particularly government agencies in other places that have already experienced success addressing ticket scalping and related issues; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Chairperson of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Report Title:

Task Force; Ticket Scalping; Report