RELATING TO SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS.

HB1770

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1770

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to school bus drivers
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION 1.
�
The
legislature finds that safe, reliable, and timely student transportation is a
critical component of the State's public education system and is essential to
ensuring equitable access to educational opportunities for students across the
State.

����
The legislature further finds that the
State continues to experience a severe and persistent shortage of qualified
school bus drivers, resulting in delayed routes, service disruptions, and, in
some cases, the elimination of bus service for students and families.
�
These shortages disproportionately affect
rural, remote, and hard-to-reach communities, particularly on the neighbor
islands, where geographic isolation, long travel distances, limited labor
pools, high costs of living, and competition with private-sector commercial
driving opportunities create significant barriers to recruitment and retention.

����
The legislature additionally finds that the
current pathway to becoming a school bus driver in the State requires the
completion of specific training, testing, and commercial driver licensing
requirements, including access to certified instructors, testing sites, and
credentialing services that are often concentrated on O
ʻ
ahu
or in limited locations.
�
The legislature
recognizes that restricted access to these credentialing and licensing
opportunities creates significant logistical and financial barriers for
prospective drivers residing on the neighbor islands, where travel costs, time
away from work or family, and limited scheduling availability discourage
participation in the profession.
�

Expanding access to training, testing, and credentialing opportunities
on the neighbor islands is therefore essential to strengthening the school bus
driver workforce and ensuring that rural and hard-to-reach districts can
recruit and retain drivers from within their own communities.

����
The legislature recognizes that the absence
of a comprehensive, statewide strategy to recruit, train, and retain school bus
drivers has exacerbated inequities between urban and rural school districts and
has placed additional burdens on working families, kūpuna caregivers, and
students who rely on school bus services as their primary means of
transportation to and from school.

����
The legislature further finds that targeted
financial incentives, including recruitment grants, signing bonuses with
repayment provisions, and dedicated outreach and workforce pathway programs,
are necessary to attract new drivers, support training and licensing costs, and
build a sustainable pipeline of school bus drivers who reflect and understand
the communities they serve.

����
The purpose of this Act is to ensure safe,
equitable, and reliable student transportation and address the school bus
driver shortage, with particular attention to the unique challenges faced by
rural and neighbor island school districts by:

����
(1)
�
Requiring
the department of education to establish a school bus driver recruitment grant program;

����
(2)
�
Establishing a school bus driver recruitment
special fund;

����
(3)
�
Establishing a
repayment signing bonus
program;

����
(4)
�
Establish
ing

a school bus driver outreach and pathway program;

����
(5)
�
Requir
ing

a report to the legislature; and

����
(6)
�
Appropriat
ing

funds.

����
SECTION 2.
�

Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new
sections to subpart C of part I to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

����
"
�302A-
�
School
bus driver recruitment grant program
.
�
There is established within the department
a school bus driver recruitment grant program
to help increase the State's recruitment and retention of school bus drivers.

����
(b)
�

The program shall authorize grants to:

����
(1)
�
Fund
the requirements to obtain commercial learner's permits pursuant to section
286-238.2;

����
(2)
�
Fund
the requirements for the issuance of commercial driver's licenses pursuant to
section 286-236;

����
(3)
�
Provide
for additional costs relating to commercial driver's licenses and commercial
learner's permits, including but not limited to applications, testing, driver
training, and medical fees;

����
(4)
�
Fund
commercial driver's license and school bus driver training courses, including
but not limited to courses related to class A and class B commercial driver's
licenses and school bus endorsements;

����
(5)
�
Fund
costs for community colleges and the university of Hawaii to conduct bus driver
training courses; and

����
(6)
�
Fund
mobile bus driver training units that may travel to neighbor islands, as
appropriate.

����
�302A-
�
School bus driver recruitment special fund.
�
(a)
�
There is established the school bus driver
recruitment special fund to be administered by the department into which shall
be deposited:

����
(1)
�
Appropriations
by the legislature;

����
(2)
�
State
and federal grants;

����
(3)
�
Any
moneys collected pursuant to part XIII of chapter 286, except any fees
collected pursuant to
section 286-245(g)
; and

����
(4)
�
All
interest earned or accrued on moneys deposited in the special fund.

����
(b)
�
Moneys in the special fund shall be expended
exclusively for the purposes of administering the school bus driver recruitment
grant program.
"

����
SECTION 3.
�

(a)
�
There is established a repayment
signing bonus program to be administered by the department of education.

����
(b)
�

The repayment signing bonus program shall authorize and disperse a
one-time signing bonus of $2,000 to an individual with a commercial driver's
license at the time the individual is hired as a school bus driver with the
department of education.

����
(c)
�
Any
school bus driver who leaves employment voluntarily or is terminated before
completing thirty-six months of employment shall repay the full money amount
that the school bus driver received from the repayment signing bonus program
pursuant to subsection (b).

����
(d)
�

All moneys collected from the repayment signing bonus program shall be
deposited into the general fund.

����
(e)
�

The department shall adopt rules under chapter 91 to effectuate the
purposes of this section.

����
SECTION 4.
�

(a)
�
The department of education
shall establish and administer a three-year prospective school bus driver
outreach and pathway program to increase the recruitment of school bus drivers and
address the ongoing chronic shortage of school bus drivers in the State.

����
(b)
�

The department of education shall develop for the program:

����
(1)
�
Recruitment
campaigns;

����
(2)
�
Informational
sessions regarding school bus driver recruitment;

����
(3)
�
Partnerships
with public schools and community organizations within the State; and

����
(4)
�
Workforce
development programs, including but not limited to career and technical courses
for potential school bus drivers.

����
(c)
�

The department of education shall provide:

����
(1)
�
Stipends
for courses related to commercial driver's licenses and school bus endorsements;
and

����
(2)
�
Equitable
opportunities for neighbor islands, including working with local community
colleges in each county to develop specific credentialing services.

����
SECTION 5.
�

The department of education shall submit quarterly reports to the
legislature on its findings, including but not limited to:

����
(1)
�
The
total school bus driver vacancies by county;

����
(2)
�
School
bus driver applications, school bus driver position offers, and positions
accepted by county;

����
(3)
�
Number
of trainees who obtained a commercial driver's license and school bus
endorsement under the school bus driver recruitment grant program or
prospective school bus driver outreach and pathway program;

����
(4)
�
The
length of time between when an individual starts the school bus driver
recruitment grant program or prospective school bus driver outreach and pathway
program and when they obtain a school bus driver position;

����
(5)
�
The
total school bus driver hires and separations;

����
(6)
�
The
number of canceled routes or restored routes attributed to the school bus
driver recruitment grant program and prospective school bus driver outreach and
pathway program;

����
(7)
�
School
bus driver retention at six, twelve, and twenty-four months;

����
(8)
�
The
cost for each participant of the school bus driver recruitment grant program
and prospective school bus driver outreach and pathway program;

����
(9)
�
The
average school bus driver hourly wage;

���
(10)
�
The
amounts expended by the school bus driver recruitment special fund and the
school bus driver recruitment grant program;

���
(11)
�
An
assessment of the school bus driver recruitment grant program; and

���
(12)
�
Specific
barriers encountered and recommended statutory amendments.

Each report
shall be posted to the department of education's website to be available for
public review.

����
SECTION
6
.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $
or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 to be
deposited into the school bus driver recruitment special fund.

����
SECTION
7
.
�
There is appropriated out of the school
bus driver recruitment special fund the sum of $
or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 to provide
grants for the school bus driver recruitment grant program.

����
The
sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the
purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 8.
�

There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii
the sum of $ or so
much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 to provide signing
bonuses for the repayment signing bonus program.

����
The sum appropriated shall be expended by
the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 9.
�

There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii
the sum of $ or so
much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the school bus
driver outreach and pathway program.

����
The sum appropriated shall be expended by
the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 10.
�

New statutory material is underscored.

����
SECTION 11.
�

This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOE; School
Bus Driver Recruitment Grant Program; School Bus Driver Recruitment Special
Fund;
Repayment Signing Bonus Program; School Bus Driver Outreach and
Pathway Program; Report; Appropriation

Description:

Requires
the Department of Education to establish a School Bus Driver Recruitment Grant Program.
�
Establishes a School Bus Driver Recruitment
Special Fund.
�
Establishes a
Repayment
Signing Bonus Program.
�
Establishes a
School Bus Driver Outreach and Pathway Program.
�

Requires a report to the Legislature.
�

Appropriates funds.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.