The Connecticut legislature passed a pair of controversial bills early Saturday morning outlawing discrimination against people who identify themselves as transgender and enacting the nation's first mandate that private employers must provide their workers with paid sick days.

Both bills resulted in hours and hours of debate, with each stretching into the early hours of the morning Saturday, and both were passed entirely because of large Democratic majorities in the Connecticut House of Representatives and state Senate. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy must now sign the bills before they can become law, which he has indicated he intends to do. The anti-gender discrimination bill, know as House Bill 6599: An Act Concerning Discrimination, passed in the senate by a 20-16 vote without a single Republican supporting the measure; the House passed the bill in a 77-62 vote last month, again with every Republican opposing the legislation.

The Connecticut Mirror reported that during the lengthy debate over the legislation, Republicans indicated that they would be willing to approve a bill that outlawed gender discrimination in areas such as employment and housing, but were uncomfortable that the current bill extends to more private areas like bathrooms or changing rooms, which they said could pose risks to young children. In a statement released soon after the vote, Malloy called the bill "the right thing to do" and indicated that he intended to sign it.

"This bill is another step forward in the fight for equal rights for all of Connecticut's citizens, and it's the right thing to do," Malloy said. "It's difficult enough for people who are grappling with the issue of their gender identity, and discrimination against them has no place in our society. Connecticut has lead the way in other civil rights issues and I'm proud to be able to support and sign this bill." If signed into law, the bill would make Connecticut the 15th state in the nation, along with the District of Columbia, to have approved such anti-gender discrimination laws, according to the Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organizations.

The debate on the paid sick leave bill, known as Senate Bill 913, states that employers with 50 or more employees are required to "provide paid sick leave to certain employees for use for the employee's sickness, the employee's child's, parent's or spouse's sickness, or to deal with sexual assault or family violence issues."

The legislation pertains exclusively to service workers such as those in the food and health care industries, but excludes manufacturers and certain non-profit organizations. Under the bill, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2011, eligible employees would earn an hour of paid sick time for every 40 hours worked; the number of paid sick days an employee would be responsible to an employee who earns the maximum would be capped at five per year.

The Connecticut Mirror reported that the debate on the bill lasted 11 hours and was finally approved at 3:01 a.m. Saturday by a 76 to 65 margin, again without any Republican votes. Republicans argued that the bill was anti-business friendly and would raises costs for employers in an already tough business climate, thus making jobs harder to find.