Massachusetts lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a bill which would ban TikTok on all government devices in the state.

State Rep. Michael Soter, R-Worcester, spoke alongside Nichols College president Glenn Sulmasy at the hearing. The state bill closely mirrors bipartisan federal legislation passed by Congress and would apply to state government-issued devices.

Soter said his bill is an important step in minimizing security risks posed by the Chinese government.

“So the federal government knows it’s a national security risk, well how as a nation can we come together if we still have states that are not taking it off their devices?” he said. “We still have loopholes which can eventually lead to government agency devices. We are focusing in on national security and protecting not only government employees, but citizens, which we are all obligated to do when we take the oath of office.”

Other states, including New Hampshire, Utah and South Dakota have taken similar measures to ban TikTok on government devices.