(KXNET) — On Thursday afternoon, House lawmakers approved a plan to sweeten the deal for teachers in North Dakota.

House Bill 1329 would lower the number of years it takes to receive a lifetime teaching license from 30 to 20 years.

Representative Zachary Ista from Grand Forks put forward the bill, along with seven co-sponsors.

Currently, teachers in the state are licensed to teach under two-year and five-year periods but must send to the state six semester hours of re-education credit.

“They’ve shown to their students, their peers, their administrators, and most importantly, the parents in their community that they’re quality, dedicated educators,” Representative Ista said. “And I think it’s time to recognize that by saying, ‘at this point, you should qualify for a lifetime license because you have proved your mettle as a good teacher’.”

The lifetime teaching license never expires.