MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont’s House of Representatives gave approval to a plan to increase penalties on retail theft. The proposal, now on its way to the state senate, would stiffen penalties for repeat retail offenders.
Under current state law, people caught stealing less than $900 in merchandise face misdemeanors.
The bill, passed by the house, aggregates the amount that people stole so that they could face a felony.
Backers of the bill say it’s an important piece of the criminal justice puzzle, but more needs to be done to prevent people from stealing in the first place.