LOS ANGELES (KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO)  -- Hospital workers who snoop through patients' medical records could be fined up to $250,000 dollars under a plan approved by the state Senate. The plan would also set up a new state agency to safeguard patient records.

All this comes after reports that 127 UCLA workers poked through records of celebrity patients, including Britney Spears, Farrah Fawcett and California First Lady Maria Shriver.

Check status of state Senate legislation