With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Peter Shumlin Wednesday closed a major loophole in Vermont's anti-fraud laws.
The new measure allows judges to deny pensions to public employees found guilty of certain financial crimes.
The law is a response to the case of former state trooper Jim Deeghan, who bilked taxpayers out of $200,000 by logging hours he didn't work.
The governor says cases like Deeghan's are rare, but a new law is still needed.
"To reiterate, 99.99 percent of public employees work very hard to ensure that they're serving the public with extraordinary integrity. What this bill does is give us further protection," said Shumlin, D-Vermont.
A state auditor's report found no other cases of fraud similar to Deeghan's, but exposed several weaknesses in the payroll system.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:50 AM EDT2013-06-18 04:50:58 GMT
A Central Vermont landslide will cost thousands of dollars to repair. VTRANS officials say the slide happened off Route 110 in the town of Washington after heavy rains soaked the slope. Monday crews cutMore >>
A Central Vermont landslide will cost thousands of dollars to repair.More >>
Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:50 AM EDT2013-06-18 04:50:08 GMT
Green Mountain Power wants a permit to kill bats.When the Lowell Mountain Wind project went online -- Little Brown Bats were not an endangered species. Now they are and killing them is illegal. But GMPMore >>
Green Mountain Power wants a permit to kill bats. When the Lowell Mountain Wind project went online -- Little Brown Bats were not an endangered species. Now they are and killing them is illegal.More >>
Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:49 AM EDT2013-06-18 04:49:15 GMT
When it comes to parking in downtown Burlington empty spaces can be tough to find. "I go up to the mall parking lot," said Ian Gould. "It's just so much easier to park there. You don't have to bringMore >>
Burlington considers raising penalties for expired meters.More >>
Monday, June 17 2013 8:57 PM EDT2013-06-18 00:57:16 GMT
A car smashed into a building in the Northeast Kingdom Monday morning.Police say an Mary Bailey, 85, from Quebec, was making a trip to the Dollar General in Troy. While parking she thought her car wasMore >>
She thought her car was in reverse, but when she hit the gas the car hurtled forward and slammed into the side of the Dollar General. More >>
Monday, June 17 2013 8:52 PM EDT2013-06-18 00:52:47 GMT
Police are on the hunt for a purse snatcher.They say the man -- captured on a surveillance camera -- took the purse from a woman at the Price Chopper in Derby Friday afternoon. He left the store in anMore >>
Suspect took purse from a woman at the Price Chopper in Derby Friday afternoon.More >>
Monday, June 17 2013 8:51 PM EDT2013-06-18 00:51:22 GMT
Thousands of state employees are making the switch to electronic time sheets.The new $11-million payroll system went live last month. The idea is to make the payroll system more efficient by eliminatingMore >>
Thousands of state employees are making the switch to electronic time sheets.More >>
Monday, June 17 2013 8:31 PM EDT2013-06-18 00:31:29 GMT
At 25 years-old, Michael Adams has done more in his career than most people twice his age. "I surprise myself every single day," Adams said.This young entrepreneur is mixing up his 5th business -- GreenMore >>
From barbeques to baseball games, mustard is a staple of summer for many people. But one man is trying to elevate the condiment to a whole new level.More >>
Monday, June 17 2013 8:23 PM EDT2013-06-18 00:23:56 GMT
Ricardo Gervais visits the Queen City every chance he gets. And now when he parks in downtown Burlington, new signs on parking meters displayed in English and French will greet the Canadian tourist."IMore >>
Downtown Burlington keeps getting a bit more international -- an effort to make our neighbors to the north feel more welcome.More >>
