A Texas Senate committee gave unanimous approval Thursday to a bill giving across-the-board pay raises for public school teachers, the first step forward for a top goal of lawmakers in both political parties.

Sen. Brandon Creighton filed a bill Tuesday aimed at increasing pay for Texas teachers. More experienced teachers could get a bump of up to $10,000.

Last school year, the average teacher in Texas made thousands of dollars less than teachers in other states. A nearly $5 billion bill filed Tuesday in the Legislature seeks to provide across-the-board raises and put more money toward bonuses.