HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)– A bill to make it easier to recruit potential police officers in Pennsylvania has passed the State House.

The bill would lower the physical fitness standards to get into the police academy, although the standards to be hired as an officer would stay just as rigorous.

Chester County Democrat Dan Williams sponsored this bill, saying it’ll give people time to get in shape.

“The number of candidates who come into the program sometimes get very close to running that 1.5 miles or doing the specified requirements for sit-ups and pushups, sometimes they fail by a very small margin, and then they have to repeat the process and start all over again,” Williams said.

The bill passed the House with a handful of Republicans voting for it. Williams hopes it’ll have the same support in the Senate.