Transportation subcommittee advances bill to lower minimum school-bus driver age to 21 after heated debate

House Bill 84, which would lower the minimum age to drive a school bus in Tennessee from 25 to 21, moved out of the Transportation Subcommittee on a 6-3 vote after more than an hour of debate and public testimony.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Sparks, said the state faces a shortage of school-bus drivers that harms student transportation. “We have a crisis. We’ve got kids waiting at bus stops not being picked up,” Sparks said, listing other countries’ age thresholds to argue Tennessee is unusually restrictive. Sparks asked the committee to send the bill to full committee for more consideration and possible amendments.

The proposal drew both supportive testimony from potential drivers and current drivers and opposition from safety officials. Isaiah Hynek, a 21-year-old who said he works as a school-bus cleaner and monitor in Rutherford County, told the committee: “I have been wanting to drive a school bus since I was 5 years old… I firmly believe that you can drive a school bus at 21 years old.” David Settles, a Metro Nashville bus driver, emphasized training and on-the-job evaluation, describing his trainer’s decision to stop a test when the trainee’s driving was unsafe: “She got in the driver's seat and drove back and told him there's no way that she would ever pass him to drive a school bus.”

The Tennessee Department of Safety registered formal opposition. Elizabeth Stroker, legislative director for the Department of Safety, told members the department and others worked to raise the minimum to 25 to ensure drivers had several years of general driving experience before operating vehicles that carry children. Stroker also described the federal and state licensing requirements that apply to prospective drivers: applicants generally must pass a CDL permit and hold it for a period, complete federally approved training, pass CDL skills tests and then additional written and skills tests for passenger and school-bus endorsements.

Major Tim Spicer of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said he supported the department’s position. Committee members questioned whether lowering the age would meaningfully increase recruitment, and whether local education agencies would retain authority to set their own hiring standards.

After discussion and several members’ statements about the centrality of training and vetting, the subcommittee voted 6 ayes and 3 noes to advance House Bill 84 to the full Transportation Committee.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 84 (lower school-bus driver age to 21): Passed to full committee, 6 ayes, 3 noes.

Context and next steps

If the full Transportation Committee or the House approves the change, school systems would still be able to require background checks and endorsements that currently apply; the bill only changes the minimum age in statute. Committee members discussed possible amendments—such as adding local education agency discretion or targeted training programs—but no amendment to HB 84 was adopted in subcommittee. The bill will receive more hearings in the full committee.