Ohio bill would cap ‘junk fees' on tickets for concerts, sporting events
An Ohio bill introduced last week is hoping to lower those extra costs for residents. Senate Bill 196, sponsored by Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus), would prohibit ticket sellers from charging more than a total of $5 in extra fees for a purchase containing one or more tickets.
Ohio family pleads for better treatment of mother detained in ICE facility
'We need to do something to help regular everyday families in Ohio that want to do something fun, whether a concert, whether it's a sporting event, and it's not fair that they are overburdened with these fees,' DeMora said. 'Budgets are tight now, people are struggling to make ends meet, but they ought to be able to have some fun in their lives.'
The bill deems violating this rule an unfair and deceptive business practice under Ohio law. Violators would be referred to the state attorney general for enforcement, who could take legal action by ordering the company to amend its fees or seeking restitution for consumers, among other options.
Service fees average about 27% to 31% of total ticket prices, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. The added costs, which DeMora calls 'junk fees,' have been a longstanding frustration among consumers.
'The fees are outrageous,' DeMora said. 'I mean, if the face value of tickets is $100, you pay $150.'
Last year, the United States Department of Justice, along with 30 state and district attorneys general, including Ohio's, filed a civil lawsuit against Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation Entertainment. The ongoing suit alleges the company holds a monopoly on the ticket market, resulting in fans paying more in fees.
Mayor: Village won't replace non-working tornado sirens
This month, the Federal Trade Commission began enforcing a new rule that requires ticket-sellers to disclose any extra fees upfront, instead of springing them on customers during checkout. Companies also must now avoid 'vague phrases' such as convenience fees, service fees or processing fees and clearly state the purpose of the charges.
The new guidelines, however, do not put a price limit on or ban extra fees. DeMora called the new FTC rule a 'good step in the right direction' but said the fees are still too high and need to be addressed.
Ticket fees for entertainment events may go to the ticket-seller, venue or event promoter for various costs associated with running the event, as well as maintaining the facility or services offered by the ticket company.
NBC4 reached out to Ticketmaster and other entertainment companies for comment on the bill. The only reply came from SeatGeek, which stated that while the company appreciates and respects DeMora's efforts to make live events more affordable, caps on fees can 'distort the market' and have 'unintended consequences.'
Columbus officer confronts school board after being denied access to school
'We believe the best way to protect and empower consumers is through transparent pricing, not caps,' Joe Freeman, vice president of government affairs, said. 'That's why we fully support the FTC's new rule, which took effect last week, requiring ticketing platforms to show the full, all-in price upfront.'
SB 196 has been referred to the Government Oversight and Reform Committee, where it awaits its first hearing. Two Democrat state senators, Hearcel Craig (Columbus) and Casey Weinstein (Hudson), are cosponsoring the bill.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
What does the Ohio House property tax override mean?
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio House pushed for property tax relief this week, but legislators disagree on whether removing some property tax authority will help Ohioans' pocketbooks. Gov. Mike DeWine signed Ohio's 2026-2027 budget into law on June 30, but vetoed 67 provisions within the several thousand page document. On Monday, the Ohio House held a rare out-of-season session to override one of the budget vetoes in an attempt to provide property tax relief. During the vote, politicians on both sides of the aisle said Ohio's tax system is too complex to be productive, so NBC4 is breaking this issue down. Olentangy coach resigns amid investigation into inappropriate text messages What happened? On Monday, 89 of the House's 99 members met and voted to override DeWine's veto on school district property tax levy restrictions. The move needed 60 votes, and it successfully passed 61-28. The House originally planned to vote on three overrides, but leaders said they did not think they had the votes due to absences. See previous coverage in the video player above. It is now up to the Senate to decide if they will also vote on the override, but they have not yet announced plans to vote. The override is not official unless 20 of Ohio's 33 Senators concur. What could change? If the Senate concurs the veto override, Ohio would change what type of property tax levies schools and other services could place on the ballot. The changes stop schools and political subdivisions, like fire departments or libraries, from introducing replacement and emergency levies. This change also stops school districts from asking for operating levies if it has too much money left over in their general funds. Replacement levies occur when a levy is expiring, and can either keep the same levy in place or, more commonly, replace it with a higher tax rate. Emergency levies are used when funding is crucial to keep operating, and they expire after a set number of years. These are all operating levies, meaning they are used to pay for daily necessities like supplies, utilities and salaries. These funds typically cannot be used for permanent improvement projects, like building a new high school or fire department. House members in favor of the changes said words like 'emergency' and 'replacement' can influence people to vote for property tax increases they may not want. They hope removing these levy options will promote transparency in levy requests. Bobcats, bald eagles and bears, oh my! Species seeing population growth in Ohio What does this mean for schools? This would limit how public school districts are allowed to ask for public money by removing several levy options. Schools would still be allowed to request other property tax levies. The Ohio Education Association (OAE) said these levies are crucial for school districts' long-term financial stability. Replacement levies are frequently used to help districts keep up with inflation, so having to always seek new levies brings a more complicated request to taxpayers. According to the OAE, this change could force Ohio schools to increase class sizes and cut programming. Schools will also no longer be allowed to ask for certain levies if they carry over more than 100% of their expenditures in their general funds from school year to school year. School districts say this is an important protection for long-term financial planning, as they cannot ask for more money even if they say they need more. House Republicans who voted in favor of the override said it will encourage districts to be more fiscally responsible. Proponents of the change say this is not taking money from schools, as voters will still have the opportunity to approve levies. Opponents, like Rep. Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus), said the veto would limit the choices Ohioans have at the ballot. What does this mean for local services? Although the change affects school districts immensely, it also affects political subdivisions like local governments, fire departments, libraries and parks. All of these services rely on property taxes, and many of them use replacement levies to stay afloat. For instance, Franklin Township had two replacement levies fail in the past year, leading them to have to close one of their two fire stations. Legislators and advocates who disagree with the possible property tax change say examples like this prove Ohioans already have control over whether or not to pass a levy. Like local schools, this could make it more difficult to pass levies, or just complicate how these services are asking for funding. House Democrats say these services will have to choose between more frequent levy requests or making budget cuts. House Republicans largely say this will protect taxpayers from overreach and encourage local services to be better stewards of tax dollars. Three months later, still no updates in OSU investigation of hidden cameras in dorm bathroom What does this mean for my taxes? Even if the Senate concurs this veto override, this change does not guarantee a different property tax rate for Ohioans. The change reduces how many types of levies subdivisions can ask for, but fewer levies may not correlate with fewer levy requests. Proponents say this will help provide transparency at the ballot and prevent tax hikes that voters may not expect. The change would go into effect Jan. 1, 2026, so it would not change tax laws until after the November election. Proponents say this is a proactive change to help future overreach. Opponents say it is unlikely this will provide meaningful property tax relief because it does not address immediate pressures. They said it could even add financial pressure for taxpayers as local governments and schools try to find other revenue sources. Ohio leaders say property tax reform is coming, regardless of whether the override stands. Gov. Mike DeWine has tasked a property tax reform work group with analyzing concerns and generating solutions by Sept. 30. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Groveport Madison prohibits cell phone use during school day ahead of statewide ban
GROVEPORT, Ohio (WCMH) — Starting this fall, Groveport Madison students will no longer be allowed to use cell phones in schools. The district announced the change on Thursday, telling parents and students that phones and other internet-connected devices must be turned off and out of sight during the school day. The district said there will be exceptions for emergencies or when use is specifically approved by school staff. The new policy affects all students K-12 and begins this upcoming school year. 'Over the past several years, we've seen a noticeable increase in distractions, conflicts, and disciplinary issues tied to phone use during school hours, particularly those related to social media and texting,' the district said in a statement. 'Research also shows that excessive screen time can negatively impact mental health, attention span and classroom engagement.' Ohio schools face $185 million losses in federal funding freeze Groveport Madison's cell phone ban requires students to be cell phone free for the entire school day, including lunch and other breaks from instruction. The district said they believe it will minimize conflicts and distractions and create a better learning environment. The district said it is making the change to be in line with Senate Bill 158, which is not yet law but would ban cell phone use in schools. The Ohio Senate passed S.B. 158 on May 14, and the bill is awaiting further action in House committee hearings. See previous coverage of Ohio's proposed cell phone bans in the video player above. Groveport Madison's change also preemptively ensures compliance with a new Ohio law that requires all districts to ban cell phones by Jan. 1, 2026. That requirement was included in Ohio's biennial budget bill, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law on June 30. DeWine has been pushing for cell phone regulations like this for over a year. In 2024, he signed legislation that required all Ohio public school districts to limit cell phone use in school by the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Now, schools must implement full bans, with exceptions for emergencies and medical concerns. Parents have raised concerns about students not having phones during emergencies or to help with medical issues, but Groveport Madison and the state legislator have adopted exceptions for those situations. Some parents also told NBC4 banning cell phone use infringes on parents' rights in education. Study ranks multiple Ohio cities among most stressed in United States Groveport Madison said it made the decision alongside its Board of Education, district safety committee and a Parent and Student Advisory Committee. Despite feedback, the district said it anticipated the change would be an adjustment, and provided research supporting minimal cell phone use for parents to use in conversations with students. According to the American Psychologists Association, too much screen time can be damaging for kids and teenagers. The APA said social media are built for adults, and they can be harmful for growing brains, especially as minors are still developing impulse control and various mental guardrails. Groveport Madison now joins many other central Ohio districts that have full or partial cell phone bans on the books. Last summer, South Western and Whitehall school districts implemented similar bans to Groveport Madison's, and Dublin City Schools has been DeWine's poster child for cell phone ban effectiveness. 'As we went through this process in Dublin City Schools, we had near unanimous support from parents for banning cellphones from our schools,' Dublin Superintendent John Marschhausen said. 'We are home to more than 90,000 residents and I've received one complaint.' Groveport Madison's ban begins with the first day of school, which will be Aug. 11 for grades 1-6 and freshman in high school, and Aug. 12 for all other students. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
The Verge
20-07-2025
- The Verge
I asked Alexa Plus to tackle my to-do list — it mostly failed
One of the best features of Amazon's new Alexa Plus is that I don't have to 'speak Alexa' anymore. I've been testing the voice assistant for about a week now, and it understands what I say, regardless of how I say it — there's no more need for precise phrasing to get Alexa to do what I want. This big shift underpins another headline feature of the revamped generative AI-powered assistant that I've been testing: agentic AI. But this one needs work. The idea is I can talk to Alexa Plus as I would to a real personal assistant and ask it to do tasks, such as reserving a restaurant for my friend's birthday, finding an electrician to fix my broken sprinkler pump, or booking tickets to a Chris Isaak concert. The assistant can then act as an 'AI agent' and navigate online services on my behalf to book everything for me. Combined with better calendar management and the ability to remember things you tell it, Alexa's agentic AI has the potential to make the assistant much more useful. Alexa's AI agent features are neither broad enough nor seamless enough to replace my real-life personal assistant: me At least in theory. In reality, it's too limited. Alexa Plus relies on partnerships with specific services; it can't just roam the web and do my bidding. As of now, that includes Ticketmaster, OpenTable, Uber, and Thumbtack. While impressively, Alexa did manage to complete several steps, overall, the AI agent's current features are neither broad enough nor seamless enough to replace my real-life personal assistant: me. Alexa Plus is still in an Early Access beta phase, and Amazon says more integrations are coming soon. These include ordering groceries by voice (via 'several grocery providers in the US'), delivery through Grubhub, and booking spa visits through Vagaro. These may be more useful to me, especially grocery ordering. I already use Alexa for my shopping list, but I then have to put everything into my Harris Teeter shopping app for pickup or delivery. If Alexa could take that list and add it to a service like Instacart, it would cut out a chunk of work for me. Of the three agentic experiences I tested, the best was booking a ticket to an event through Ticketmaster. After a dodgy start — when I asked about sports events and was told about a youth basketball training session — I tried again. 'What events are there in Charleston next month that you can buy me tickets for?' Alexa produced a list of about 10 local sports events and concerts on the Echo Show 15 I was using (Alexa Plus is much more useful on a screened device). It told me, 'You've got music shows like Blackberry Smoke and Mike Campbell on August 5th and Collective Soul on August 6th. There's also a Cure tribute band on August 2nd. Anything catch your interest?' I spotted a Chris Isaak concert in the list (I love a good Wicked Game) and told it to book me tickets. It found balcony seats for $98.15 each and asked how many I wanted, while also showing me more expensive options. I selected the cheap seats, and it walked me through each step as it added them to my cart, ending with a checkout button where my credit card details were pre-populated. (I'd linked my Ticketmaster account in the Alexa app when I first set up Alexa Plus.) I canceled before purchasing, because I don't love a Wicked Game $200 much, and Alexa confirmed that the tickets were released. However, alarmingly, later that day, a pop-up in the Alexa app told me that anyone with access to my Alexa devices can order tickets. Amazon: I'll take a PIN option here, please. Next, I asked Alexa to 'book a dinner for two in downtown Charleston for tomorrow night at 7PM.' It returned three options, which is just sad — Charleston has a hopping foodie scene. I picked a French spot I'd been to before and changed it up, asking Alexa to 'make it for two weeks on Friday.' Unfazed, Alexa understood, pivoted and confirmed availability for Friday, July 31st, at 7PM, then asked if I wanted to book. After I confirmed, it said it would also add the reservation to my linked Gmail calendar. Handy! Alexa had messed up the date Or so I thought. I then received a text message from OpenTable, confirming my reservation for Thursday, July 31st. Alexa had messed up the date. I told Alexa to switch the reservation to Friday, August 1st, and it did, also updating my calendar. While it eventually booked the table, Alexa took longer to do it and was less accurate than if I'd just opened the OpenTable app on my phone (or more realistically, the Resy app that most restaurants in Charleston use) and done it myself. Finally, I had Alexa tackle a chore I've been putting off for two years: finding an electrician. I've been meaning to get the circuit for my sprinkler pump fixed for ages. It's on the same one as my internet router, so when the pump kicks in, it trips the circuit — and down goes my Wi-Fi. The big difference is that I did all of this hands-free I told Alexa I needed an electrician to fix the sprinkler system, and asked if it could book one. It pulled a list of several 'highly rated electricians' in my area via Thumbtack, highlighting the top three. I picked one and asked it to schedule a visit for a week from now. Alexa asked several follow-up questions about my house and the specific issue — it felt a bit like filling out a webform with my voice. Alexa, then said it was working on sending the request through the Thumbtack website, and that I'd get updates soon. A few hours later, still no word from Alexa. But I received an email from Thumbtack (the first of many…) and a text message from the electrician asking me to call or text to schedule an appointment. Not exactly the seamless set-it-and-forget-it experience I'd hoped for. Still, the big difference is that I did all of this hands-free. I could be setting up dinner dates and finding electricians while cooking dinner or folding laundry. As a working mother of two, anything that helps with multitasking so I can complete my to-do list faster is welcome. But while the tech is impressive, the lack of depth and the failures I experienced in two out of my three tests mean I don't plan to rely on Alexa to do these tasks for me just yet. Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
