(DENVER, Colo.) — A bill that would ban corporal punishment in schools just passed in the State House. While it was a landslide vote, Colorado Springs representatives were divided on the issue.

Corporal punishment in schools is the practice of disciplining a child with physical force that causes pain. All Colorado Springs Republicans with the exception of one, said they don’t support banning this practice.

Introduced by Colorado Springs Democrat Regina English, House Bill 1191 passed in a landslide vote 48 to 16.

“So in the legislature, there isn’t really any big push against this. Actually, there’s bipartisan support for this bill,” said Jason Gonzalez, higher education & legislative reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado.

But, the El Paso County delegation wasn’t as unified, with four representatives voting yes and four voting no.

“You learn via pain… Punishment is a subset of discipline because pain is a primal motivator,” said Rep. Ken Degraaf (R-Colorado Springs).

Rep. Rose Pugliese was the only Republican from Colorado Springs to side with Democrats on this issue.

“To me, it’s a parental rights issue. I don’t believe that my children should have physical pain inflicted on them in schools,” said Pugliese.

District 21’s Mary Bradfield (R-Colorado Springs) contended that while this bill has the right intentions, lawmakers should not be inserting themselves in the classroom.

“School districts can create their own policy, we as a body do not have to take on everything,” said Bradfield.

Colorado is one of 19 states where corporal punishment in schools is still legal. Most recent state and federal data show no reports of its use, which proponents of this bill do acknowledge.

“They [legislators supporting this bill] say, look, these are things that might not be happening in any big way, but we want to send a message… Ensuring that students feel safe,” Gonzalez said this is what legislators he has spoken with told him.

“We’re just simply setting in statute that this is something that’s not ok,” said English.

If the bill was passed into law, school districts and childcare facilities would need to create policies enforcing it.

“When this bill was first brought to the education committee, I was like, ‘are we still beating our kids in school? Is that real?’ But I will say I did get a lot of feedback from constituents saying ‘Thank you for fighting for our children. That’s my place to decide what level of discipline I want for my children,'” Pugliese

This bill now moves to the Senate for a vote, which must be completed before the session is over on May 8.