BOSTON -- Lawmakers in Massachusetts will consider a proposed ban on spanking children in the state.

Boston television station WCVB reported that the issue is set for debate at a Statehouse hearing Wednesday morning.

The Boston Herald reported that State Rep. Jay Kaufman filed the spanking ban petition at the request of an Arlington, Mass., nurse who wants Massachusetts to become the first state in the country to stop corporal punishment.

If this proposal does become law and parents are caught hitting their children who are under the age of 18, they could be charged with abuse or neglect, WCVB reported.