Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Friday released a plan to provide front-line workers with hazard pay during the pandemic, becoming the first GOP lawmaker to endorse the idea.

The proposal aims to compensate essential workers who now face a greater risk of contracting the coronavirus , like people in the health care or food processing industries.

Under the plan, workers would receive up to an additional $12 an hour during a three-month period ending in July. Three-fourths of the cost of the proposal would be paid by the federal government through a refundable tax credit, while the remaining portion would be covered by employers.

The credit would gradually phase out for essential workers making over $50,000 annually. Those making over $90,000 per year would be ineligible.

Romney dubbed the credit Patriot Pay.

Health care professionals, grocery store workers, food processors, and many others the unsung patriots on the frontline of this pandemic every day risk their safety for the health and well-being of our country, and they deserve our unwavering support, the senator said in a statement on Friday.