
OPW - Mar 29 - It has been confirmed that the International Marriage Brokers Bill aims to prevent online dating websites from running gender specific pricing schemes. The terms of the bill will also apply to holidays such as Valentine's Day. It isn’t specified whether or not the regulations will have an impact on a “ladies night” event in real time. Legislative staff member, Lisa Baugher, has provided in-depth details on the specifics of the bill's regulations in a recent email to Maryland Local, Michael Parrotte.
According to Baugher, "The bill defines an international marriage broker as an entity that provides dating, matrimonial, or social referral services involving recruits. The bill also defines a recruit as an individual who is not a citizen of the United States who uses the services of an IMB for dating, matrimonial, or social referral services. The term "international marriage broker" does not apply to an organization that does not charge a fee based on gender or country of origin to any party for the services provided. This would apply to temporary promotions offering different pricing schemes based on gender or country of origin as well."