HARTFORD, Conn. -- Six months after the fatal home invasion in Cheshire, Gov. Jodi Rell signed a bill into law to toughen penalties for home invaders.

Rell said she wants the community to have confidence in the state's laws, saying the new reform package makes Connecticut criminal laws among the toughest in the nation.

Special Coverage, Timeline: Cheshire Case Lawmakers Burn Midnight Oil For Home Invasion Law Despite 'Three Strikes' Defeat, Rell Happy With Bill

"This bill helps us do our job better and I'm very pleased to be able to sign this bill," Rell said. "Violent criminals have no place in Connecticut except for behind bars and for a very long time."

In a special legislative session, the Senate voted 36-0 to approve the measure and was followed at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday by the House of Representatives, which passed the bill on a vote of 126-12.

The arrest of two paroled burglars who were charged in the killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela, prompted debate about how to make state law stronger and improve Connecticut's parole system (Special Coverage, Timeline). The bill is a compromise between the Republican governor, who convened a task force to study the issue, and Democrats who control the General Assembly.

Rell said the community's safety was her main motivation.

"The tough new home invasion law is the centerpiece of the changes. If a criminal goes into a home occupied or not, they'll be charged with a class A felony, which guarantees a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison," Rell said.

The new reform package includes revamping the state's parole board and improving criminal GPS tracking. It also increases the penalty for night-time break-ins -- all of which are now considered violent crimes, which means no early parole.

The governor said she was disappointed that the proposed "three strikes" initiative did not pass, but said she believes it will be approved in the future.