A California bill that would require cellphone makers to install a "kill switch" to render stolen devices inoperable has passed the state legislature, and now moves to the governor's office for consideration.
The bill won Senate approval Monday by a vote of 27-8. If Gov. Jerry Brown signs the bill, it would be among the first such laws in the nation (Minnesota has adopted a similar anti-theft requirement).
An earlier version of the "kill switch" bill died in the Senate this spring, amid criticism that its language was so broad it would have imposed the requirement on a number of devices beyond smartphones.