The "Steven Tyler Act" passes through the Hawaii state senate. It is a bill protecting celebrities from the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

A month ago the bill was proposed to Hawaii state lawmakers at the encouragement of rock legend Steven Tyler.

Last December, while vacationing in Maui, Tyler said paparazzi took many unwanted pictures of him and invaded his privacy.

He later asked Senator Kalani English to sponsor the act, otherwise known as Senate Bill 465.

The bill protects celebrities from overzealous photographers by creating a civil cause for action if photos or videos are taken during private moments.

The Steven Tyler Act therefore makes it possible to sue a paparazzo for invading privacy.

SB465 states that it is a civil violation "if the person captures or intends to capture, in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, through any means a visual image, sound recording, or other physical impression of another person while that person is engaging in a personal or familial activity with a reasonable expectation of privacy."

Twenty-three of the state's 25 Senate members voted in favor of the bill, and it will now be sent to the House for consideration.

Senator Sam Slom, Hawaii's only Republican Senate member, opposed the bill. He claims the state already has adequate privacy laws and that Hawaii's Legislature has been ridiculed across the country for supporting the Steven Tyler Act.

The only other Senator to vote against the measure was Les Ihara.

In February the rock star went before the Hawaii's Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing testimony. Tyler admitted that as a celebrity, being followed and photographed by paparazzi was part of the "dealio."

He then added, "When I'm in my own home and I'm taking a shower or changing clothes or eating or spending Christmas with my children, and I see paparazzi a mile away, shooting at me with lenses this long, and then seeing that very picture in People magazine, you know, it hurts...That's what they do, they are just constantly taking from us."

This is certainly a step in the right direction for vacationing celebrities. And if Hawaii's House of Representatives also passes the Steven Tyler Act, they can expect the freedom of rest and relaxation away from the paparazzi's prying eyes.