New legislation would set the minimum pay for teachers at $60,000 a year, a move that comes after President Biden called for educator raises in his State of the Union address.

The bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would set minimum pay with annual raises for public school teachers across the country. According to a fact sheet on the bill, almost 40% of the nation’s school districts pay teachers less than $40,000 a year and 43% of teachers overall make less than $60,000 a year.

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After adjusting for inflation, the average weekly wage of a public school teacher has gone up by $29 over the past 30 years, proponents of the bill said.

“It is simply unacceptable that, in the richest country in the history of the world, many teachers are having to work two or three extra jobs just to make ends meet,” Sanders said. “Wages for public school teachers are so low that in 36 states, the average public school teacher with a family of four qualifies for food stamps, public housing and other government assistance programs. We have got to do better than that.”

Under the bill, states would be provided federal funds to establish the $60,000 minimum salaries.

The bill would also triple funding for Title I-A program, which serves schools with a higher percentage of students from low-income backgrounds, as well as teacher training and retention efforts.