Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a proposal to require students to complete kindergarten, or demonstrate first-grade readiness, before starting first grade.

The House of Representatives approved the bill by Democratic Rep. Pebblin Warren of Tuskegee on a 101-0 vote. It now moves to the Alabama Senate.

The bill would require a child to have successfully completed kindergarten or have demonstrated first grade readiness on a district assessment before enrolling in first grade.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia require that children attend kindergarten, according to the Education Commission of the States.

The proposal has been introduced before in the Alabama Legislature but did not win final approval.