BERLIN (AP) — The state of Bavaria is proposing an end to Germany’s statute of limitations on stolen property with the goal of making it easier to return art stolen by the Nazis to its rightful owners.

The plan tabled in the upper house of Parliament on Friday comes in the wake of the 2012 discovery of some 1,400 artworks in the Munich apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi-era art dealer.

That brought renewed focus on the issue, and Jewish groups have been pushing for Germany to eliminate the 30-year statute of limitations on stolen property that has made restitution cases difficult.

The proposal will likely be voted on in Parliament’s upper house this spring, then will have to go to the lower house for approval before going into effect.