State Sen. Judith Zaffirini is proposing legislative changes to make concert ticket fees more transparent. Here’s what to know about SB 42.
The price of concert tickets has repeatedly been in the news the last few years, and within good reason. From bots to scalpers to competitively priced shows, the cost of seeing artists perform live music has drastically increased—oftentimes to a point of being outright unaffordable for many folks. State Senator Judith Zaffirini is trying to do her part to make things a little more transparent for Texans as they navigate these waters.
On Monday, Zaffirini filed Senate Bill 42 to be reviewed during the upcoming 2027 legislative session. The basic idea behind the bill is to improve transparency around ticket prices by including fees in the total cost listed on ticketing websites, and by prohibiting changes to that total while customers are in the process of completing their sales.
If adopted, these changes would apply to both primary and secondary sales made for all events in the state. Restrictions that have already been imposed, such as the ones on automated ticket-buying software, would remain in place. The major caveat to Zaffirini’s bill is that it wouldn’t place any direct prohibitions on how prices are set for in-demand events, meaning promoters could impose drastically higher costs than they would for less popular shows.
It’s unclear as to why Zaffirini didn’t include adjustments to this portion of the process in her proposal, though lawmakers across the country have been waging an ongoing war to help fight back against unfair practices that impede on people’s ability to enjoy entertainment for reasonable fees.
How it would work
If Senate Bill 42 (SB 42) were to be approved during the 2027 legislative session, sellers would be required to include all mandatory fees in the total price of the ticket displayed on their websites. So, essentially, if a ticket costs $150 but has an additional $35 worth of mandatory fees on top of that initial price, the overall total would have to be displayed as $185.
Additionally, disclosures must be made in these instances to explain the pricing breakdown for buyers. In this instance, a disclaimer would need to be displayed clearly stating that $35 of that overall $185 is in mandatory fees. This will hopefully create more transparency around the all-in total cost for events so folks know exactly how much they’re going to spend when selecting their seats.
Sellers would also be prohibited from increasing any fees or overall cost during the checkout process. Once a customer has chosen their tickets for the clearly displayed price, that’s the amount they’ll pay once they enter their personal and financial details to complete the sale.
The 90th legislative session in Texas begins on January 12, 2027 and runs through May 31, 2027. An exact timeline for when SB 42 will be heard and approved or denied has not been provided, though it will likely see extended conversation and potential progress prior to that May 31 cutoff date.
