The bill now heads to the Senate floor, over the objections of a group of online companies whose lobbyists said the proposal won't prevent child predators and could soothe people into thinking they're safer online than they are.
Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, a coalition of e-commerce companies and trade groups, said more than a dozen states have considered but not passed such laws.
"Child predators and convicted criminals don't use online dating services to find their victims," DelBianco said. "Instead, they lurk around the nation's virtual playgrounds or virtual school yards where kids hang out, places like chat rooms or social networking sites."
Will Castleberry, national director of state public policy for America Online, lobbied against the bill even though AOL doesn't have a dating service, citing that people could be misled into feeling secure.
Indeed, the bill requires dating services that do background checks to caution the screenings aren't foolproof, may provide a false sense of security, might be incomplete and can be circumvented by criminals who use aliases.
The state Office of the Attorney General is neutral on the bill. Its legislative director, Steve Finkel, said the state understands the arguments from both sides and contends background screenings are better than nothing.
Lawmakers hoped for more forceful legal advice from the Attorney General's Office, and indicated they would defer to Senate President Richard J. Codey. But Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, said he might change his mind before the Senate floor vote.
"Personally, I think you have to be crazy to date on the Internet," said Sen. Barbara Buono, D-Middlesex.
Committees also advanced proposals that would:
Exempt health club dues and public parking fees from the 7 percent sales tax.
Allow the state attorney general to seek "public corruption profiteering" monetary penalties, in effect forcing the corrupt to reimburse the public entity that was defrauded.
Make the intentional misuse of public grants, loans, assets and property a crime, punishable by fines and jail sentences.
Permit counties and municipalities to put monitoring cameras on traffic lights, enabling them to shoot pictures of cars that run the lights and issue tickets; released without recommendation it be approved.
Exempt most hybrid cars, as well as those powered by compressed natural gas or fuel cells, from sales taxes.
Exempt solar energy systems, or those relying on other renewable energy sources, from property taxes.
Authorize assistant prosecutors to hold outside employment, if it's approved by their county prosecutor. That's already allowed in some counties; the second jobs can't involve the practice of law.
Make it a crime punishable by 10 years in jail and $150,000 in fines to recruit minors to join street gangs.
|