MADISON, Wis. -- A new bill aims to tighten the regulations surrounding the door-to-door sales industry -- and the young people it employs -- after a horrific 1999 van crash near Janesville.

The bill would prohibit hiring sellers under the age of 18, would require companies to register in detail with the state, provide some criminal background checks, and take other steps in an attempt to protect young people.

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New Door-To-Door Bill

The measure targets companies that employ youths to sell a variety of products, including magazines, candy, or cleaning products.

A recent Inside Edition investigation reported that young people are often lured in with advertisements of great jobs with free travel, but are often exploited and left penniless. Some youths also allegedly suffered mental or physical abuse, while others admitted to drug and alcohol use in motels during overnight stays.

Monica Forgues, who was paralyzed in the 1999 van crash that killed seven people, said the teenagers were using drugs in the vehicle before the accident.

"We were on our way home and we were smoking weed," she said.

Phil Ellenbecker's daughter, Melinda, died in the crash. Since then, he has worked to improve state regulations of companies who use teenagers to sell their products door-to-door.

Young employees of these companies should be protected, said John Conger, a police officer who saw the speeding van crash.

They are routinely victimized and they are abused and they are treated as slaves at times," he said. "It's just disgusting that this continues to go on."

The measure's supporters include agencies like Consumer Protection, which once found a crew of teenagers selling a dangerous banned hazardous substance. Wisconsin needs to take action, it says, because the federal government has failed to act.

The owner of the company included in the Inside Edition story denied any abuse took place.

Magazine Publishers of America declined to comment on the bill.