The South Carolina House approved a bill Thursday requiring background checks for caregivers in nursing homes. Officials at nursing homes in South Carolina, therefore, have the option of using state background checks instead of federal background checks, which can take up to six months.

The bill removes mandatory checks for high school and technical college students and allows caregivers to work for multiple nursing homes without undergoing a separate check from each facility.

“People just can’t sit around for six months waiting on a check to come back. They have to go to work,” said Brian White (R-Anderson). “You’ve got the option for doing both, so the flexibility is there.”