The hit-and-run death of a Winslow, NJ boy prompted legislation that would require car rental firms to check a driver's legal status before releasing a vehicle, according to South Jersey’s Courier-Post.

Under the proposed "Najeeb Green-Lewis Law", rental agencies that don't check a driver's status would face a civil penalty of $1,000 for each incident, South Jersey legislators say.

Rental firms can check the status of a license by phone or through a computerized state system, according to the Motor Vehicle Commission.

Green-Lewis was 12 when he died in May, after being struck by a drunk driver who left the scene, officials say. The motorist, Michael Repko, was driving a rental car even though his license was suspended for a prior drunk-driving conviction, according to the bill's sponsors, assembly members Pamela Lampitt and Louis Greenwald.