Assembly Bill A579

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    579
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  arts  and  cultural affairs law, in relation to
   requiring ticket distributors to refund the purchase price of  tickets
   within forty-five days after a cancelled or rescheduled event
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 23.08 of  the  arts  and  cultural
 affairs  law, as added by chapter 517 of the laws of 1988, is amended to
 read as follows:
   1. Any ticket distributor who offers or sells to the public in or from
 the state of New York, advance tickets of admission to events to be held
 in places of entertainment, or  who  contracts  for  the  sale  of  such
 advance  tickets  of  admission,  and accepts in advance partial or full
 payment of the purchase price therefor, shall, no later  than  the  next
 business day after receipt thereof, deposit all such advance payments in
 an  escrow  account  in a bank, trust company, savings bank, or state or
 federal savings and loan association, located in this state. A  separate
 escrow  account  shall  be  established for each place of entertainment.
 Monies deposited in escrow shall be released upon  performance  of  each
 event  for which such monies have been deposited to the extent that such
 monies represent payment for advance  tickets  sold  for  the  performed
 event.    The  person  who  offers or sells advance tickets shall not be
 required to keep in separate depository accounts the funds of the  sepa-
 rate  ticket  purchasers from whom payments have been received, provided
 [his] SUCH PERSON'S books of account shall clearly show  the  number  of
 tickets  sold  at  each price for each theatrical production, concert or
 sporting event for which a separate escrow account has been established,
 and the total amount of advance ticket  revenues.  Each  advance  ticket
 purchaser  shall,  until  the  performance  of  the  event for which the
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02132-01-5
 A. 579                              2
 
 advance ticket has been purchased, retain a property  interest  in  that
 portion  of the deposit which equals the amount [he] SUCH ADVANCE TICKET
 PURCHASER has paid for such advance ticket, and shall be entitled  to  a
 refund  for  such  amount if the performance of the event for which such
 ticket has been purchased in advance has been cancelled or  rescheduled,
 except  as  provided  for by subdivision three of this section. UPON THE
 RESCHEDULING OR CANCELLATION OF A PERFORMANCE, OR A REQUEST FOR A REFUND
 BY A TICKET PURCHASER, THE TICKET  DISTRIBUTOR  SHALL  REFUND  THE  FULL
 PURCHASE  PRICE OF A TICKET TO EACH TICKET PURCHASER REQUESTING A REFUND
 WITHIN FORTY-FIVE DAYS  AFTER  THE  ORIGINALLY  SCHEDULED  DATE  OF  THE
 PERFORMANCE OR THE EVENT.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.