The state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that seeks to restrict the resale of tickets outside entertainment and sporting event venues.
The bill would allow cities, the UW System campuses and venues like the Milwaukee Bucks' Bradley Center to create a ""resale zone"" where fans would be allowed to sell their excess tickets if the resale price is less than or equal to face value. Under the bill, a person selling outside the designated zone could receive a citation and be fined up to $500.
Proponents of the bill, including the Milwaukee Brewers organization, said it will protect attendees from overly aggressive or harassing ticket resellers.
State Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, sponsored the bill and said it will help fans enjoy the experience of attending events.
""This is going to be enforced against people who are essentially very aggressive ticket resellers—people with handfuls of tickets in their hands. It's not un-akin to aggressive panhandling,"" Sullivan said during the Senate session.
The bill passed the Senate on a 28-3 vote. State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, voted against the measure. He said the bill is unnecessary and unfairly targets the casual fan with an extra ticket they are looking to sell.
""The Brewers claim the fans are being harassed. As someone who has been to over 100 Brewers games in my life, as well as Bucks and Badger games, I have never felt harassed,"" Grothman said. ""The Brewers are already receiving a subsidy of over $200 million on their stadium, and it shouldn't bother them if a few people resell their tickets outside the designated area.""
The Senate also passed a bill regulating the use of the words ""Wisconsin,"" ""university,"" ""college"" or ""state"" in the titles of academic institutions. The legislation was intended as a response to ""diploma mills"" that issue misleading academic credentials. The bill aims to eliminate and penalize anyone who manufactures such documents. It passed on a 29-2 vote.
