The governor of Vermont has just signed an unprecedented bill that offers to pay people $10,000 just to live in the state.

Governor Phil Scott just signed a bill that will make it so that starting at the beginning of 2019, the state will pay people $10,000 to move to the state and work for an out of state employer. The money is meant to help with relocation expenses, computers, internet, coworking memberships, and other work-related expenses.

Though the population of the state of Vermont is rising,  the average age of the state’s residents is 43, which is almost five years older than the average age of the rest of the United States. Those who support the bill are hoping that it will encourage young people to move to Vermont.

Senator Virginia Lyons, who wrote up the bill, said that she was inspired to do so by her son-in-law, who currently lives in Vermont and works from home for an out-of-state company.

“I was hoping to accomplish a couple of things with this bill,” Lyons said. “One was to encourage young people who are computer savvy to stay in the state and work remotely. The second thing this bill could help accomplish is drawing people into the state.”

Governor Scott agreed that Vermont needs more residents.

“We have about 16,000 fewer workers than we did in 2009. That’s why expanding our workforce is one of the top priorities of my administration,” Scott said. “We must think outside the box to help more Vermonters enter the labor force and attract more working families and young professionals to Vermont.”

In order to qualify for the Vermont’s Remote Worker Grant Program, someone has to be employed full time by an out-of-state employer that will allow them to work from home or a remote office. The bill will pay for 100 people in 2019 to move to Vermont, and after that, it will pay for 20 people to move there per year.