NorthJersey.com reported today that, contrary to the constitutional concerns of web dating sites and the various legal issues with background checking mechanisms, Senate President Richard J. Codey is “spearheading” new web dating laws in the area. Under the proposed legislation:

1. Convicted sex offenders who are caught using the Internet will be fined up to $18,000 and sent to jail for a maximum of 18 months;
2. Those convicted of sex crimes who are caught soliciting a minor for sex on the Internet will face a mandatory five-year jail sentance; and
3. Web dating sites available to New Jersey residents would be required to state if they perform background checks on their members.

Currently there are no U.S. federal laws that enforce any of these proposals, but both Florida and Nevada have legal ramifications imposed upon sex offenders who use the Internet.

Although the Senate is to debate the proposal soon, several issues have arisen - most notably one stated by Bill Ashworth, the Director of State Government Affairs at Yahoo!, who said,

“…background checks are unreliable because of fraud and problems getting information from states with different laws on what information is available.”

Additionally, AOL, eHarmony and Match.com have all expressed their concerns regarding the proposed web dating laws.