A bill adding protection to the California sea otter was passed 47-23 by the state Assembly on Wednesday.

Assembly Bill 2485, jointly authored by Assemblymen Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, and John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, would improve protections for the sea otter from water pollution, disease and illegal killing.

Introduced in February, AB 2485 addresses threats to sea otters by changing cat litter packaging to encourage landfilling cat litter and thereby reduce the levels of a deadly parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, in wastewater released in coastal waters.

The bill would facilitate a research program, administered through the California Coastal Conservancy, to study sea otter mortality from non-point source pollution, and treatment technologies for pathogens causing sea otter deaths.

The bill would create a fund that the state Department of Fish and Game can access so that all game wardens can work on sea otter issues, as well as establish a tax check-off benefiting sea otter research and protection. The bill would increase fines and penalties for illegal taking or killing of sea otters to up to $25,000 for each otter, raising it to equal federal fines and penalties.

The bill now goes to the state Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.