TRENTON -- Democratic and Republican leaders in the New Jersey Legislature plan to introduce legislation next month for the state to ban the kind of non-disclosure agreements crafted to cover up sexual harassment and misconduct by executives at The Weinstein Company and Fox News, NJ Advance Media has learned.

"I am leaning towards banning NDAs that cover up anything that has to do with life safety, sexual assault, abuse or harassment," said state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen. "Corporate boards of directors keep on approving settlements to cover executives who then go on to commit the same offense."

In the past two weeks, reports in The New York Times and The New Yorker detailed how Hollywood film executive Harvey Weinstein reached at least eight such settlement pacts with women to buy their silence.

Those reports came on the heels of similar scandals at Fox News Channel, which in April fired host Bill O'Reilly over sexual harassment charges after having reached settlements with five women at the company totaling $13 million.

And last year, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes resigned under pressure amid allegations of sexual harassment of his employees, including Fox anchors Megyn Kelly, Andrea Tantaros and Gretchen Carlson, who received a $20 million settlement. It had previously reached settlements with at least two other women over similar sexual harassment complaints about Ailes, who died in May.

In an interview with NJ Advance Media on Friday evening, the Hollywood actress Rose McGowan -- who in 1997 reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein after an unwelcome encounter with the mogul a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival -- heaped praise on the Garden State legislators backing the anti-non disclosure agreement bill, calling it a "hugely important step towards helping stop the epidemic of sexual harassment."

"The time to act is now -- lives depend on it," McGowan said. "There is hate involved in these crimes. These crimes are not about sex, they are about oppression, control, hate and abuse of power. I very much urge the legislators who will read this to reclassify violence against women as a hate crime. By re-framing the lens we look through, we can save lives and be heroes for all who've been hurt."

While the legislation is originating with Senate Democrats, state Assembly Republican Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, R-Union, said the non-disclosure agreement ban was "something we should draft together" and that he planned to work with Weinberg in crafting it.

"You shouldn't be able to contract away cover-ups," Bramnick said. "Paying people for their silence seems like extortion to me, and any covering up of predatory activity against women is something we're greatly concerned about."

As a longtime litigator, Bramnick added that he hoped any legislation would also prevent manufacturers from buying the silence of consumers who'd been maimed or killed by faulty or dangerous products.

"We have to look closely at all confidentiality agreements and decide if they have an extremely important public interest," Bramnick said. "Because I know of cases from 25 years ago where the public never knew of a household products that left people injured and killed."

Still, not all Democratic lawmakers are in favor of the proposal.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, said he had considered co-sponsoring the legislation with Weinberg, but decided against it over concerns that outlawing such non-disclosure agreements could "re-victimize victims."

He expressed concern it might force them to endure additional pain, and sometimes, the professional harm that can result from going public with a sexual harassment claim. He said he reached the decision after conferring with his girlfriend, Salena P. Carroll, who is also secretary of the New Jersey Civil Rights Commission.

Nancy Smith, the Montclair-based attorney whose firm, Smith-Mullin, represented Carlson in her suit against Fox News, said she disagreed with Lesniak.

"Please, they're still gonna want to settle," Smith said. "Does a Harvey Weinstein want to see a 24 year old woman on the witness stand saying, 'He barred me from leaving and made me watch him ejaculate into a potted plant?' It's so disgusting what these men have gotten away with, they'll want to keep this out of court."

New York state legislators are weighing their own ban, sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan. Hoylman said Friday he planned to consult with Weinberg about possibly including aspects of her ban on non-disclosure agreements that could affect consumers life safety.

"It's an interesting approach and something we'd consider looking at," said Hoylman. "I've traded ideas about legislation with Loretta before."

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.