AFTER PUSH FROM SCHUMER, EBAY, CRAIGSLIST AGREE TO WORK WITH SCHUMER TO STOP THE SALE OF SCALPED INAUGURAL TICKETS ONLINE
Tickets That Should Have Been Free For Members of The Public Were Being Sold For Thousands On The Web
After Reports that Online Retailers Were Selling Scalped Inaugural Tickets, Schumer, As Chair of Congressional Inaugural Committee, Called on Them to Stop
Schumer: These Inaugural Ceremonies Aren’t For Sale
Yesterday, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that, at his request, eBay and Craigslist have pledged to work with Schumer’s office to stop the sale of scalped tickets to the Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies. After media reports that online retailers were offering scalped tickets that are meant to be free for members of the public, Schumer publicly called on the companies to cease the practice and preserve the integrity of the Inaugural events. The tickets, which clearly state “Not for Sale” on the back, were being scalped for thousands of dollars in some cases. eBay will enforce a policy not to allow these listings on their site, while Craigslist employees will monitor their site and remove these listings.
“This year’s Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies are not for sale,” said Schumer. “eBay and Craigslist are doing the right thing in stopping the sale of scalped tickets to one of our nation’s most sacred events. I hope that everyone who has an Inaugural ticket will think twice before posting these tickets on any ticket resale site. This is a chance for people from all 50 states to celebrate our democracy, not for ticket scalpers to make a quick buck.”
On Monday, Schumer unveiled the Inaugural tickets for this year’s event, as well as a mobile website app that helps ticket holders find their way to their seats or standing section. Schumer noted that this year’s Inaugural tickets have anti-counterfeiting measures to prevent the manufacturing of fake tickets, but that each year a small number of individuals attempt to sell their tickets online. StubHub already refuses to resell Inaugural tickets, and Schumer today praised eBay and Craigslist for following the same practice.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is responsible for the oversight and planning of the Presidential Inauguration and related ceremonies on the U.S. Capitol grounds.
The Joint Committee was authorized by S. Con. Res. 35, which passed the Senate on March 1, 2012, and the House on March 5th. Members of JCCIC are appointed by the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. In accordance with tradition, the Senate representatives on JCCIC are Majority Leader Harry Reid, Rules Committee Chairman Charles E. Schumer, and Rules Committee Ranking Member Lamar Alexander. The House members of JCCIC are Speaker John A. Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
S. Con. Res. 35 established the date of the 2013 Inauguration as Monday, January 21, 2013, since January 20, 2013 falls on a Sunday. This is the seventh time in U.S. history that the constitutionally mandated Inauguration date has fallen on a Sunday. The last time was for President Ronald Reagan’s second Inauguration in 1985. When this occurs, the public ceremonies traditionally are held on Monday.
In addition, January 21, 2013 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It will be the second time that this federal holiday has coincided with a Presidential Inauguration. The first was President Bill Clinton’s second Inauguration in 1997.
You can follow the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies on our Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/#!/