RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Tuesday night, Tennessee State Representative Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) will go to the Rutherford County Commission with a proposed solution to Tennessee's bus driver shortage: lowering the age requirement from 25 to 21 years old.

Sparks introduced a bill to lower the age requirement last legislative session, but that bill failed in the Senate by one vote. Now, he's trying to rally support for the idea before introducing a new bill.

"If a county commission or school board takes a position, we pay attention," Sparks said. "Our delegation pays attention."

In a letter to the county commission, Sparks points to data from 2020 to 2024 showing what he calls "an aging driver workforce coupled with an increase in crash incidents."

"I've got young people that w

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