A bill that would make it illegal for people to use bots to buy event tickets is advancing in the Iowa Legislature.
The bill would criminalize using automated software programs to bypass online ticket queues. It would also pressure ticket sellers to report violations caused by bots.
The so-called “Taylor Swift bill” was named after a series of incidents when fans tried to buy tickets to the superstar’s Eras Tour through Ticketmaster in 2023 and 2024.
During Senate debate Tuesday, Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, thanked Sen. Kerry Gruenhagen, R-Walcott, for introducing the bipartisan bill. Trone Garriott referred to some of Swift’s songs several times in her speech.
“Iowans have some ‘Bad Blood’ with ticket bots and price gouging. In the past, ticket bots have run rampant — and the consumer? ‘You're On Your Own, Kid.’ Battling presale codes and grueling online cues is like fighting ‘The Great War.’ You could spend a ‘Fortnight’ trying to navigate the process.”
The measure passed unanimously in the Iowa Senate. A similar bill in Minnesota went into effect at the beginning of the year.