Hartford - Companies across Connecticut have been preparing for a new state law that takes effect today, which requires firms with 50 or more employees to provide certain workers with paid sick leave.

The state Department of Labor has been meeting with dozens and dozens of employers, law firms and business associations in recent months, trying to educate them on the nuances of the new law. Connecticut is the first state to mandate for paid sick leave.

Mandatory paid sick leave is one of a host of new state laws that take effect as of Jan. 1. Others include a new tax credit program for businesses that hire new employees; expanded insurance coverage for breast MRIs, bone marrow tests, colorectal cancer screening and ostomy supplies; and a loan forgiveness program for students who graduate from so-called "green studies" programs.

For the new paid sick leave legislation, Heidi Lane, principal attorney for the labor department, has been holding informational sessions with businesses and fielding phone calls from concerned employers. The department scheduled its third seminar on the law for Jan. 12 at its offices in Wethersfield, and more could be scheduled. Participants must register.

Many employers in Connecticut already provide plenty of time off to their employees, Lane said. The problem, she said, is that the businesses need to make sure the paid sick leave accrues at the same rate that's in the new law. The legislation requires that a service industry worker at a business with 50 or more employees can accrue one hour of leave for every 40 hours worked.

Lane said there's also confusion about whether employees are considered service workers or not. The law lists 68 categories, based on the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of standard occupations that would be affected. The jobs range from food service employees to bellhops.

Given the major change in the law - this marks the first time the Connecticut labor department will have jurisdiction over a fringe benefits issue, in addition to wages and hours - state officials are willing to work with employers as they get used the new rules.

"We're going to keep doing our education. ... We know that this is really difficult and confusing," Lane said. "If someone has a violation, let's fix it."

Proponents of law have estimated that 200,000 to 300,000 workers may benefit from the law. Lane said the bulk of Connecticut employers will not be affected, however, because they have such small staffs. Of the 95,000 employers in the state, she said 89 percent are smaller firms with fewer than 50 workers.

The new law, however, will affect workers who already have paid sick leave. According to the legislation, if any workers who request the leave are retaliated against for it, they can now file a complaint with the Department of Labor.

The law won't affect any collective bargaining agreements reached prior to Jan. 1, 2012, until those agreements are renegotiated and expire, Lane said.

Other new laws that take effect Sunday include:

• The more than 300,000 businesses registered in Connecticut will be required to file their annual reports with the Secretary of the State's Office online at www.sots.ct.gov. There are some exemptions. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said she expects the new requirement will save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, eliminate tons of paper and streamline customer service.

• Insurance companies will be required to pay for a comprehensive ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging of a woman's breast if a mammogram shows she has dense breast tissue. Also, insurers will be required to cover the cost of an annual colorectal cancer screening without a co-payment or other out-of-pocket expense; and one-time testing to determine compatibility for bone marrow transplants. Additionally, maximum annual coverage for ostomy supplies increases from $1,000 to $2,500.

• The state is making $3 million available to provide loan forgiveness grants, a maximum of $2,500 per year for up to four years, for any Connecticut resident who graduated on or after May 1, 2010, from a state college or university with a bachelor's degree in a field related to clean or renewable energy; reducing carbon emissions or greenhouse gases; or designing products and ways to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

• Businesses will be able to earn tax credits for every new employee they hire. Firms with 50 or fewer workers can earn a credit for each new hire while companies with 50 to 100 employees would earn a credit for at least five new hires. Those companies with more than 100 employees would earn a tax credit for at least 10 new hires. The credits are $500 per new employee and $900 for each veteran hired.