It was a day of salutations, exchanging news and – not surprisingly, because after all, it’s the State House – some politicking.

Tuesday was the start of the 2016 session of the General Assembly. For Rep. Joseph Solomon Jr. and Sen. William Walaska, it was also a time to finish up what never reached a vote when the House abruptly adjourned last June. Solomon was circulating his legislation for a Rocky Point license plate for the signatures of co-sponsors. It wasn’t a hard sell.

In the Senate, Walaska was hopeful both chambers would pass his Good Samaritan legislation that would indemnify from prosecution those seeking medical attention for someone overdosing on drugs.

They, like other Warwick lawmakers interviewed for this story, agreed that, in the bigger picture, how the state will address bridge repairs and the budget will hold the spotlight in the months ahead. To those two, Rep. Joseph McNamara added overdose prevention, inequity in car taxes, and the state formula for school funding that needs to be “more equitable to public, non-charter schools.”

Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed offered a similar view in her opening day address.

“One challenge which must be addressed this session is ensuring that the methodology by which we require our local communities to fund schools is providing adequate resources to those traditional and charter school alike,” she said.

Paiva Weed said legislators face no shortage of challenges.

“I am certain that all of us share the sentiment that our single greatest priority is the economy, and we will continue to work together with Gov. [Gina] Raimondo, Speaker [Nicholas] Mattiello and our colleagues in the House to position Rhode Island for economic prosperity,” she said.

Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi, who headed Raimondo’s campaign for governor and is known to have her ear, was in the midst of the swirl of legislators on the House floor as legislators, staffers and lobbyists exchanged wishes for a happy new year in apparent disregard for the incessant ringing of the session bell. At one moment, Shekarchi was hobnobbing with Mattiello, and in another chatting with George Nee, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO.

Shekarchi didn’t hesitate when asked what would be the challenges of the session.

“Budget and tolls,” he said, and left it at that.

On the city side, he wants to see the sewer authority enabling legislation that made it through the House last June pass, and he is keeping an eye Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur’s proposal for an appointed rather than elected School Committee.

“Funding and jobs, that’s what we always have to look at,” was Rep. Eileen Naughton’s answer. She also expressed her excitement with the selection of Meghan Hughes as president of the Community College of Rhode Island, saying she feels the new leader will ensure a balanced educational opportunity at the institution.

“We don’t want to make it a trade college,” she said.

Rep. David Bennett saw legislation effecting illegal immigrants as one of the more challenging issues in the upcoming session, which was underscored by the chanting of a crowd advocating licenses for undocumented immigrants carrying placards in the corridor just outside chamber doors.

For Sen. Michael McCaffrey, improved state revenue projections lend hope to improving aid to cities and towns.

“I’m hoping we can budget as much as we can to Warwick,” he said.

Signs of an improving economy, Solomon said, bolster his efforts for the state to have a sales tax free holiday in August similar to what is done in Massachusetts. He pre-filed legislation to create the tax-free weekend.

Walaska filed legislation that would make it illegal for those on cash assistance to use those funds to purchase liquor, on gambling, and at adult entertainment establishments. Like McNamara, Walaska is also looking to address inequities of car taxes. He would like car values based on the average trade-in value rather than its full retail value.

“The only way you get full retail value is put it in a garage and never drive it,” he said.

But while there will be many issues in the session to unfold, the governor’s proposal to fund bridge repairs with truck tolls was unquestionably on the top.

Like his colleagues, Walaska sees the need to finance a dedicated maintenance program.

Walaska said he doesn’t favor the measure in its present form, adding the insight: “Let’s see the bill that comes out.”

In other words, like others, Walaska is waiting to see what the leadership and the governor propose.