TRENTON -- Pet stores in New Jersey would be banned from selling dogs bred at "puppy mills" under a bill introduced Monday in response to a string of violations filed against the owner of pet stores in East Brunswick and Paramus.

Just Pups in Paramus was shut down for the day on April 4 after 67 puppies were found in a van behind the shop, with some covered in feces and lacking food and water. The dogs had been driven from the owner's breeding kennel in Missouri.

At the Just Pups location in Brunswick, the East Brunswick Township Council last month revoked the license of owner Vincent LoSacco after he was charged 267 times with animal cruelty.

The Paramus store is "temporarily closed," according to the answering machine message at the Paramus store. LoSacco could not be reached for comment.

The bill (A3645) would prohibit the sale of a dog missing its a health certificate; that is the offspring of a female dog which has given birth more than once a year; and originates from a puppy mill.

"I think many people are unaware that a large majority of the puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills, which are breeding facilities more concerned with profit than raising healthy, well-adjusted animals," said Assemblyman Joseph Lagana (D-Bergen), one of the bill's sponsors. "The conditions under which these animals are raised are inhumane, and can lead to problems for consumers in the future."

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.