Halle Berry, an Academy Award-winning actress, appeared at the California Capitol on Tuesday to testify for a bill that limits paparazzi photography of children of celebrities and public figures.

Berry, 46, has a young daughter, Nahla, and is expecting a son with fiancé Olivier Martinez. Berry cited her daughter's fear as the main motivation of her support of the bill.

"My daughter doesn't want to go to school because she knows 'the men' are watching for her," the actor told the Assembly Committee on Public Safety, according to The Washington Post. "They jump out of the bushes and from behind cars and who knows where else, besieging these children just to get a photo."

The "B*A*P*S" and "Monster's Ball" star brought up her infamous run-in with the paparazzi in April at Los Angeles International Airport. She said their relaxing Hawaiian vacation came to a terrifying end when they were cornered by 50 photographers with flashes who blocked their way out.

"They were trying to start a fight with my fiance because if they get a photo of that it's more money," Berry said, adding that her daughter was terrified.

"She asked 'Mommy, are they going to kill us?' She didn't get to sleep until 3 a.m. because she can't get this out of her mind and she doesn't understand what just happened to her."

According to The Huffington Post, Berry also filed criminal charges against photographers in May when they snapped photos of her daughter on her private property.

"If it passes, the quality of my life and my children's lives will be dramatically changed," she said, referring to the anti-paparazzi bill.

The bill by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, would change the definition of harassment to include photographing or recording a child without the permission of a legal guardian, CBS News reports.

The legislation specifically mentions photography that involves "following the child's activities or lying in wait" and targeting a child because of a parent's career and fame, according to the LA Times.

The goal is also to protect the children of public officials, including judges and law enforcement, said Greg Hayes, a spokesman for the senator.

Opponents, including The Motion Picture Association of America, said it infringes on free speech rights.

Jim Ewert, general counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association, told the Times the bill could criminalize legitimate news gathering.

"It's what journalists do," he said. "They take pictures."

"It sweeps legitimate newsgathering activities into the new definition of harassment and exposes everyday activities that journalists do to criminal and civil liability," Ewert added.