Senate Bill 158, sponsored by Sen. Mary Cavanagh (D–Redford Township), and House Bill 4262, sponsored by Rep. Mike Harris (R–Waterford Township), created a new “Event Online Ticket Sales Act” – which has been dubbed the “Taylor Swift bills.” The legislation was written to ban the use of bots to scoop up large blocks of tickets for concerts, sporting events, and live shows, a practice that drives up prices and locks regular fans out of the market.

Bots beware: Michigan hits “delete” on ticket scalpers.

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The legislation, which passed both the House and Senate, was signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on December 23. It allows the Attorney General to bring a civil action of up to $5,000 for a violation of the act – and yes, each ticket counts separately. The language also includes phrasing that explicitly bans technology designed to bypass ticket purchase limits.

Why is the legislation needed?

While a federal law already exists to curb ticket-buying bots, Michigan lawmakers weren’t exactly impressed with how well Washington has enforced it. The federal BOTS Act has been on the books since 2016, but enforcement has been spotty at best, leaving scalpers free to rake in profits while fans refresh their screens in despair.

State lawmakers said Michigan’s new law closes those gaps by giving the attorney general real authority to act, imposing meaningful penalties per ticket, and ensuring bad actors can’t hide behind weak federal follow-through. In short: if the feds won’t police the bots, Michigan will.

For fans, this legislation means fewer bots, fairer access, and hopefully a ticket-buying experience that doesn’t feel like a cruel breakup song.