HR 708 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

BOTS Act

Introduced Feb 4, 2015 Originated House Sponsor Marsha Blackburn R-TN

Fact sheet

Latest action · Mar 16, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedFeb 4, 2015
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Better On-line Ticket Sales Act of 2014 or the BOTS Act

Prohibits: (1) intentionally using or selling software to circumvent a security measure, access control system, or other control or measure on a ticket seller's Internet website that is used by the seller to ensure equitable consumer access to tickets for any given event; or (2) selling any ticket in interstate commerce knowingly obtained in violation of such prohibition.

Treats a violation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Authorizes a person who suffers injury as a result of a violation of this Act to bring a civil action for damages plus $1,000 for each distinct use or sale of software, or sale of a ticket, that caused such injury and reasonable attorneys' fees.

Amends the federal criminal code to prescribe criminal penalties for such an offense.

Cosponsors 10

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 4, 2015 to Nov 5, 2015, with 3 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-TNJim CooperOriginalFeb 4, 2015
R-TNScott DesJarlaisOriginalFeb 4, 2015
D-TNSteve CohenOriginalFeb 4, 2015
R-ALBradley ByrneFeb 11, 2015
R-KSLynn JenkinsMar 2, 2015
D-NYJerrold NadlerApr 28, 2015
R-FLDennis A. RossSep 11, 2015
R-NDKevin CramerSep 11, 2015
R-MIMike BishopNov 5, 2015
R-PARyan A. CostelloNov 5, 2015

Actions 5

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 16, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
  2. Mar 16, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
  3. Feb 6, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
  4. Feb 4, 2015Introduced in House
  5. Feb 4, 2015Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 5104BOTS ActRelated billSep 13, 2016

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Feb 4, 2015Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.