JACKSON — Officials from the U.S. Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C., visited the Mississippi Capitol on Sept. 16 to discuss with Sen. Kelvin Butler a teen driving bill he authored.

They discussed with Butler how he overcame challenges to secure passage of Senate Bill 2280 that extended by six months the time required for an intermediate and beginning driver to obtain a permanent license. The bill became law in July.

Sara Vermillion, assistant director of the physical infrastructure team, said information gathered will be used to help convince Congress to adopt more uniform laws regarding teenage drivers.

“I was just glad that they thought enough to come to Mississippi to see what we were doing with our graduated driving license policy,” Butler said. “I know now that we are on the right track in making the highways safer for our young people. With their help and our input, hopefully we can save more young people’s lives.”

Senate Bill 2280 allows 16 years old to qualify for an intermediate license, which allows some unsupervised driving, instead of the current age of 15 1/2. Legislators have said the extra time allows teenagers to develop safer driving skills.

The bill also bans teens from text messaging while driving.