This browser does not support the Video element.
Hot weather sticks around; Maryland county cracks down on car rallies
Hot weather is sticking around this week, a Maryland county is planning to crack down on car rallies and more top headlines.
WASHINGTON - A bill that targets price gouging and puts a cap on ticket resale prices unanimously passed the D.C. Council Tuesday.
The Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment Amendment (RESALE) Act will establish consumer protection laws on reselling tickets for live music and theater events.
"This represents a major victory for DC’s vibrant live music and theater scene, which has pushed hard for reforms to the secondhand reseller market, driving up costs and leaving fans out in the cold," the council said in a statement.
What we know:
The bill, introduced by Councilmember Charles Allen in April 2025, puts a 10% cap on how much a ticket can be resold for above its face value.
The measure also bans the practice of speculative ticket resales, or the sale of tickets that a seller does not have. It also requires bonding and registration from high-volume resellers.
During a committee vote, the price cap was removed. However, it was restored during the full council’s first vote.
Allen introduced the measure after independent venues in the District raised concerns about fraud and price gouging in the secondhand resale market.
"Ticket resellers have used technology and unrestrained profits to turn our live entertainment scene into the wild west," Allen said. "...People are sick of big tech wringing more and more money out of them."
The bill will now go to the mayor’s desk, and if signed, will undergo congressional review. It will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
Support and opposition
What they're saying:
Several popular venues expressed support for the measure.
"This will stop opportunistic profiteers from making more than the artists, and it will enable more fans to see more shows, and then cross the street to enjoy a meal in the neighborhood restaurants, since they still have enough money in their pockets. The RESALE Act will keep millions of dollars in D.C.," said Audrey Fix Schaefer, Director of Communications for I.M.P., 9:30 Club and The Anthem.
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and Fix the Tix Coalition also praised the measure, calling it "landmark legislation that will establish one of the strongest and most comprehensive resale ticketing laws in the nation."
Other advocates admonished the measure, arguing that it will not lower prices for fans.
"The question has never been whether consumers deserve strong protections; they do. The question is how to achieve them. The answer is greater transparency, stronger competition, and consistent rules that apply across the entire ticket ecosystem, not bills like the RESALE Act that reduce choice, increase fraud, and ultimately keep control of ticket prices in the hands of the very monopoly Washington, D.C.’s own AG is working to dismantle," said Brian Berry with the Ticket Policy Forum.
The Coalition for Ticket Fairness also raised concerns about the measure, saying it could backfire on fans.
"We remain concerned that this legislation will reduce consumer choice, limit competition, make it harder for independent businesses to compete, and leave fans with fewer safe options to resell tickets they can no longer use," said spokesperson Geoff Vetter.
The Source: This information is from the D.C. Council.