Gibson's anti-Semitic remarks caused a media furore

The bill imposes criminal penalties if money is exchanged for information relating to police investigations.

The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, will have the final say before the measure becomes law.

The legislation was prompted by leaked reports about Mel Gibson's arrest last July on drink driving charges.

Within hours of the star being stopped, a celebrity website, TMZ.com, managed to get hold of a confidential police report about his arrest.

The document revealed the actor had made anti-Semitic remarks to the sheriff's deputy who arrested him.

Rights violated

The revelations sparked global outrage and Mr Gibson later apologised for any offence he had caused.

The 51-year-old was ordered to receive treatment in August after admitting to driving while drunk.

Although the website has said it did not pay for the information, politicians in California say the website's actions violated Mr Gibson's legal rights.

They are also concerned that competitive media organisations might be prepared to pay for information before it is released in the future.

"For the sake of a few dollars or to get someone their '15 minutes of fame,' it's not appropriate to sacrifice people's rights," assembly member Greg Aghazarian said.

In addition to imposing criminal penalties on any law enforcement officials who sell information about a case, those who pay for it could also be charged with a misdemeanour and be fined up to $1,000.