The California legislature passed a new bill on Monday that requires all smartphones to have a built-in "kill switch," which can be used to disable phones remotely.

The bill was drafted to address the high rate of smartphone theft in the state. In San Francisco and Oakland smart phone theft accounts for half of all crime.

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The measure passed 27 to 8 and is now in the hands of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown to sign into law. If he signs the bill, it would come into effect July 2015.

According to Al Jazeera America, the law would also require telecommunication companies to confirm the username and the password of a phone if someone brings one in and wants to sign up for cellular service.

The bill appeared first in a different form weeks ago and was shot down. Senators opposed cited problems such as the kill switch requirements that were too stringent. The bill also included tablet computers.

The new version takes effect in July as opposed to January 2015. It will allow for obsolete phone versions that cannot be upgraded to have a kill switch to sold or traded.

Meanwhile, some carrier companies are against the bill. According to George Gascon, San Francisco's District Attorney, carrier giants do not want the bill to be signed into law because it could cut into their smartphone insurance policies.

However, both Apple and Microsoft favor the bill, Endgadget reported.

Some phones already have a version of a kill switch, such as iOS7's Activation Lock. The feature locks the iPhone if the built-in locating app Find My Friends is disabled, and if the thief wants to wipe the phone entirely they would have to put in the correct name and password.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the nonprofit fighting famously for internet neutrality, opposed the bill in a statement saying that it could stifle innovation and that it is not clear who exactly will have the authority to flip the kill switch.

TagsiPhone, kill switch, california