Committee
Education
Author
Dennis DeBar
Session
2024 Session
Latest Action
On April 12, the Senate invited conference on SB 2695.
Explanation of the Bill
Senate Bill 2695 would require first-time driver’s license applicants to complete a driver education and training program in order to obtain a license. SB 2695 would also require public high schools to offer a driver education and training program. Offering driver education is currently optional for school districts, and completing such a program is not required for obtaining a license. Mississippi has the highest rate of fatal car crashes as well as the highest rate of fatal car crashes involving teen drivers in the nation.
SB 2696 would establish a number of regulations for high school driver education courses as well as require high schools to offer such a course. Students would be required to receive at least 24 hours of classroom instruction and at least six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. Students would not be required to obtain a learner’s permit or driver’s license in order to participate in behind-the-wheel instruction. Upon completing the program, a student would be issued a certificate of completion that would permit them to obtain a driver’s license.
There are currently very few requirements for obtaining a driver’s license in Mississippi. First-time driver’s license applicants must pass a written knowledge exam and an eye exam to obtain their learner’s permit, which can then be immediately upgraded to a driver’s license without the applicant having to pass a road test (road tests have not been required since 2020). A few additional requirements exist for applicants under 18, including certification of school attendance (though this requirement is waived for applicants under 18 who are married—a waiver that SB 2695 would repeal), but these requirements do not include a road test or completion of a driver education program.
SB 2695 would not require a road test to obtain a license, but it would require first-time applicants of all ages to complete a driver education program. However, because SB 2695 only requires driver education programs to be offered in high school, it is unclear how first-time applicants over the age of 18 would access these programs. SB 2695 also does not address how driver education courses in high school would be funded
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| 2/29/24 | On February 29, the Senate Education Committee passed SB 2695. |
| 3/13/24 | On March 13, the Senate amended and passed SB 2695. As amended, the bill contains a reverse repealer. The bill will now be transmitted to the House. |
| 4/2/24 | On April 2, the House Education Committee passed SB 2695. |
| 4/9/24 | On April 9, the House passed SB 2695. |
| 4/12/24 | On April 12, the Senate invited conference on SB 2695. |