(LOS ANGELES) — California lawmakers are moving to make perpetrators of “swatting” pay more for their crime, advancing a bill that would make those found guilty pay back police for the cost of responding to the fake 911 call.

The bill, put forward by state Sen. Ted Lieu, was approved Tuesday by the state Senate Public Safety Committee and could reach the Senate floor by June.

By Rick Orlov

A Los Angeles councilman called Tuesday for new efforts to crack down on "swatting" hoaxes in which a massive police response is called in to a celebrity home as a prank.

In the past year, SWAT teams have responded to fake emergency calls at the homes of Justin Bieber, Russell Brand, P. Diddy, Ashton Kutcher, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake, among others.

Councilman Paul Koretz is asking the Los Angeles Police Department to report on the number of cases and offer suggestions on what can be done to deal with it.

By Kristin Wiseman

As a child, prank-phone calling was a rite of passage. It was meant to impress friends of how “cool” you were, but it has now grown into something that can cost people their lives.

By Maria Nikias

LOS ANGELES — California lawmakers are moving to make perpetrators of “swatting” pay more for their crime, advancing a bill that would make those found guilty pay back police for the cost of responding to the fake 911 call.

The bill, put forward by state Sen. Ted Lieu, was approved today by the state Senate Public Safety Committee and could reach the Senate floor by June.

By Christina Salvo

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There's a new push at state and local levels to crack down on the practice of swatting, in which a fake emergency is reported, typically at the home of a celebrity.