New Jersey would become the second state in the nation to establish an online registry of animal abusers if a bill under consideration by state legislators becomes law.

Under the proposed legislation, anyone convicted or found civilly liable for animal cruelty in New Jersey would be added to the database, which would be publicly accessible via the state Department of Health’s website. The bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Troy Singleton, said the registry would be used to identify people who have a “proclivity toward violence” and...