ALBANY – The Democrat-controlled state Assembly wants to block efforts to ease or repeal New York’s restrictive ticket-scalping laws, The Post has learned.
A newly introduced bill to be taken up by an Assembly committee next week would even toughen provisions of the law – which New York City officials want modified and state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer wants abolished.
“It would have been premature to eliminate the law without holding hearings and getting input from the various interests,” said bill sponsor Assemblyman Joseph Morelle (D-Rochester).
Morelle’s bill would extend the anti-scalping law another two years, while expanding the buffer zone prohibiting the resale of tickets in front of venues to 1,500 feet, up from 1,000 feet.
The legislation also would make it a felony for box-office employees to hold back 30 or more tickets to sell to brokers or to accept $1,000 to engage in the practice.
Spitzer raised the hopes of critics of the anti-scalping law when The Post reported recently that he believes the resale of tickets should be guided by a free-market approach.
Spitzer said the Internet and ticket brokers in other states have made the state’s anti-scalping laws virtually unenforceable.
The city and many theater owners don’t want to go as far as Spitzer, but said they would support raising a cap that limits the price for which tickets can be resold.
John McArdle, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Rensselaer), didn’t rule out the possibility that Senate Republicans would try to get the Assembly to reconsider. “We’re looking at it,” McArdle said. “People who weren’t willing in the past to talk about doing certain things are now more willing to talk about it.”