COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford has signed into law a bill that allows women who have stillborn babies in South Carolina to receive a state certificate.

The certificate may be issued for stillbirths that come after 20 weeks of pregnancy and would not be required. Women could request one from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

DHEC officials have said the certificate would be something between a birth certificate and a death certificate.

Sanford signed several other bills on Thursday, including legislation he earlier vetoed that would strengthen background checks for prospective teachers.

The law will require applicants for initial education certification to undergo a state fingerprint review. It also will require colleges and universities with education programs to instruct students that a criminal background could keep them from being certified.

Sanford vetoed the legislation in April, saying he objected to an amendment to the bill that deletes a section requiring the reporting of statistics from schools to the superintendent, governor and General Assembly. He later dropped his objection to lawmakers' override after receiving additional information from the state Education Department.

Sanford also signed a bill that toughens regulations for displaying temporary license plates on newly purchased cars. The bill defines what information should be included on temporary paper tags, which expire after 45 days.

The governor's office and mansion will get new display plaques under another piece of legislation Sanford signed. The bill allows for a plaque with the words "In God We Trust" to be installed over the entrance to the governor's office in the Statehouse and on the entrance gates to the mansion.