Let the Scalping Begin! Obama Inaugural Ticket Ban Law Fails
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Washington Post is reporting that legislation that would have banned the re-sale of tickets for the presidential inauguration of Barrack Obama next month has failed:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's legislation that would make the resale of inauguration tickets a federal crime died in the Senate last night when an effort to gain unanimous support for the measure failed, officials said.
Feinstein (D-Calif.), chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, had hoped to ban the sale of the 240,000 tickets to President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony. Those tickets are being distributed free by congressional offices; Feinstein and others grew concerned by reports of tickets being offered on eBay and StubHub for thousands of dollars.
The legislation was supposed to be "hotlined" through the Senate, meaning it would be approved by unanimous consent. But several senators raised technical objections to the wording of the legislation and time ran out before the issues could be worked out, said Howard Gantman, staff director for the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
"The fear was how it impacted other things, not directly related to the sale for profit of inaugural tickets," Gantman said.
The Senate has moved into a pro-forma session, during which it is difficult to get legislation approved. For now, it appears it remains legal to resell tickets.
Gantman noted that Feinstein was able to secure voluntary agreements from ebay and StubHub not to sell inauguration tickets.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's legislation that would make the resale of inauguration tickets a federal crime died in the Senate last night when an effort to gain unanimous support for the measure failed, officials said.
Feinstein (D-Calif.), chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, had hoped to ban the sale of the 240,000 tickets to President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony. Those tickets are being distributed free by congressional offices; Feinstein and others grew concerned by reports of tickets being offered on eBay and StubHub for thousands of dollars.
The legislation was supposed to be "hotlined" through the Senate, meaning it would be approved by unanimous consent. But several senators raised technical objections to the wording of the legislation and time ran out before the issues could be worked out, said Howard Gantman, staff director for the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
"The fear was how it impacted other things, not directly related to the sale for profit of inaugural tickets," Gantman said.
The Senate has moved into a pro-forma session, during which it is difficult to get legislation approved. For now, it appears it remains legal to resell tickets.
Gantman noted that Feinstein was able to secure voluntary agreements from ebay and StubHub not to sell inauguration tickets.
posted by Chris and Frank at 5:47 PM
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