A bill aimed at protecting children from sexually violent predators cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday, winning approval by an Assembly committee with bipartisan support.

The bill is named for Chelsea King, who was killed in February. (King Family Photo / AP)

Chelsea's Law, named for the San Diego County teenager who was raped and slain two months ago by a registered sex offender, also got a boost when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his support Tuesday.

Schwarzenegger said the bill by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, will make communities safer and he applauded the Assembly Public Safety committee for its support.

The measure, AB1844, would put some people who sexually assault children behind bars for life and increase the penalties for others. It also would increase the time a convicted child molester remains on parole, allowing officials to monitor some violent sex offenders for life. And it would bar registered sex offenders from visiting parks where children gather.

Chelsea King, 17, disappeared Feb. 25 after she went jogging in a San Diego County park. Her body was found in a shallow grave nearby five days later. John Gardner, a registered sex offender, pleaded guilty Friday to raping and murdering King and Amber Dubois, a 14-year-old girl whose remains were discovered in San Diego County last month. His plea agreement gave him life in prison.

The bill has received widespread and bipartisan support, in part because of the horrific nature of Chelsea's killing and her parents' vocal support for the reform of laws governing sex offenders. On Tuesday, the first opposition emerged from groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the California Public Defenders Association. They argued that the proposed law is a "one-size-fits-all" approach that will not ensure the state's limited resources are focused on only the most dangerous offenders.

The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, which represents 85 rape crisis centers and rape-prevention programs in the state, took a neutral position, said spokesman Robert Coombs. Coombs, who is also a member of the state board that advises the Legislature on sex-offender management, said the measure's harsh penalties could have unintended consequences and result in fewer sexual assault victims coming forward. Coombs and Committee Chairman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco - who abstained from voting on the measure - both pledged to work with Fletcher to alleviate their concerns.