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HB0084 • 2026

Driver Licenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 5-8-102; Title 49 and Title 55, relative to school bus transportation.

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Sparks, Bowling
Last action
2025-03-24
Official status
Sponsor(s) withdrawn.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill is still active, so it's unclear when or if these changes will be implemented.

Lowering Age Requirement for School Bus Endorsements

This bill changes Tennessee law to allow people who are at least 21 years old to get a school bus endorsement on their driver's license, instead of waiting until they are 25.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the age requirement for getting a school bus endorsement from 25 to 21.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to drive a school bus and are at least 21 years old but younger than 25.

Terms To Know

school bus endorsement
A special part of a driver's license that lets someone drive a school bus.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the change will affect current drivers or training programs.
  • It is unclear if there are other parts of the law that might still limit who can drive a school bus.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0084

Plain English: This amendment changes the age requirement for getting a driver's license in Tennessee and removes an existing subsection of the law.

  • Increases the minimum age to apply for a driver’s license from the current age to twenty-three (23) years old.
  • Removes subsection (e) from Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-302.
  • The amendment does not specify what was in the removed subsection (e), so we don't know exactly what information or rules were taken out.
  • The exact impact of raising the minimum age for a driver’s license is not detailed in this amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1042

Plain English: This amendment changes the age requirement for certain driver's license applications in Tennessee and removes a specific subsection of the state code.

  • Increases the minimum age to apply for a driver’s license from an unspecified age to twenty-three (23) years old.
  • Removes subsection (e) from Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-302.
  • The amendment does not specify the previous minimum age requirement for driver’s licenses, only that it is being raised to twenty-three years old.
  • It's unclear what information or requirements were contained in the removed subsection (e).

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  2. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Held on desk.

  3. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed in Senate Transportation and Safety Committee

  5. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar 3/24/2025

  6. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 3/24/2025

  7. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  8. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/13/2025

  9. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Transportation and Safety Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  10. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  11. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 3/11/2025

  13. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Transportation Committee to 3/11/2025

  14. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 3/4/2025

  15. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Transportation Committee

  16. 2025-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 2/25/2025

  18. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Transportation Subcommittee to 2/25/2025

  19. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 2/18/2025

  20. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Transportation and Safety Committee

  21. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  22. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  23. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

  24. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Transportation Committee

  25. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  26. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  27. 2025-01-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1042
By Bowling

HOUSE BILL 84
By Sparks

HB0084
001236
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 5-
8-102; Title 49 and Title 55, relative to school bus
transportation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-302(d), is amended by
deleting subdivision (1) and substituting:
(1) The applicant is at least twenty-one (21) years of age;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-302, is amended by deleting
subsection (e).
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.