Two weeks ago, lawmakers in California shot down legislation that would have required smartphone makers to implement a kill switch on handsets sold in the state. The bill initially fell short by just two votes but when it was brought up again on Thursday, it received more than enough votes to pass the 40 member Senate.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

When the legislation was rejected on April 24, some raised concerns that companies may feel the state was being overly strict and may not want to do business there. Apple and Microsoft both dropped their opposition of the bill this week, however, which likely led to its passing this time around.

The bill must now gain approval from the California State Assembly and California Governor Jerry Brown. The latter could happen as soon as August according to the New York Times. If it ultimately gets passed into law, manufacturers would be required to implement the feature on all smartphones sold in the state starting in July 2015.

Truth be told, handset makers wouldn't make smartphones specifically for the state of California. Instead, the feature would be added to all new handsets moving forward as it'd be impractical to make a batch of phones for just one market.

It's still unclear exactly how the feature would be implemented as companies like Apple and Google have already implemented features designed to curb smartphone theft.