They're back! It's the first day of the legislative session in RI. Here's what to know.

PROVIDENCE − They're back.

Rhode Island's part-time legislature was in session Tuesday after a six-month hiatus, and not without some opening-day sparring.

The Rhode Island legislature's outnumbered Republicans marked the session's start by renewing their party's years-long call for the creation of an "Office of Inspector General" to look at state spending and contracting through a more probing lens than the existing "auditor general" and "Bureau of Audits."

Asked why he believes the ruling Democrats have not embraced the idea which, in some years, has had bipartisan support, House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale told reporters: "If you are a supermajority, why would you put [anything] in place that will monitor you?"

In his opening remarks, Shekarchi laid out his priorities

In his opening-day speech Tuesday, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi reminded his troops of what waits ahead as they begin a new election-year session with "most Americans ... still feeling the pinch of inflation."

A crumbling highway bridge. A persistent housing pinch. A front-row seat to climate change. A state budget − bloated by billions in federal pandemic aid dollars − that has grown by more than 40% in the last five years. "Alarming" shortages in the ranks of health care providers – especially primary care physicians.

He offered no prescriptions in the prepared text of his opening day speech, but said: "Like access to safe housing, access to quality health care is fundamental for all Rhode Islanders, and I believe it will be a primary focus of the upcoming session."

Echoed Senate President Dominick Ruggerio in a speech to his own chamber: "It is critical that we focus on ensuring the strength of our community hospitals, attracting and retaining primary care physicians and ensuring all Rhode Islanders can access quality care."

At minimum, he said, that will include "taking steps to address Medicaid reimbursement rates."

Back on the House side of the marble divide, Shekarchi named "safe and affordable housing" as a second top priority. He hailed the state's $300-million "historic investment" so far, but said "our work is just beginning. With housing prices and rents still rising and housing supply dangerously lagging, our housing and homelessness crisis is far from solved."

Of the pushback from some communities to last year's legislative efforts to remove local obstacles to the construction of new housing, he said:

"Many municipalities are embracing our efforts. Providence, Warwick, South Kingstown, East Providence and others have proactively implemented new zoning to align with the legislation we’ve passed. However, some are wrongly trying to circumvent the spirit of the new laws.

"We must not let this pushback alter our course. We must stand our ground and allow the reforms to take effect … and let us renew our efforts to get [accessory dwelling units] over the finish line in 2024," Shekarchi said.

And with that, the 2024 election-year legislative session was underway.

Tough decisions coming for RI's budget

Ticking off the "strategic" moves the lawmakers made in recent years when the state was awash in money and the state budget hit a record-high $14 billion, Shekarchi said: "Rhode Island has dodged a recession – and I am confident the strategic investments we made during the last few legislative sessions have prevented our economy from floundering."

He cited, as examples, a run of recent tax cuts, including: the elimination of the local car tax, the exemption of military pensions from state income taxes and an increase in the amount of retirement income others receive that is exempt from state taxation.

"Despite these reforms, our constituents, like most Americans, are still feeling the pinch of inflation," he said.

And "I want to caution all of you: this year, there are some very tough decisions ahead," he said. "The influx of new federal pandemic relief is finished ... This year’s budget will look very different than the last few years."

Context: Rhode Island's state and federally financed budget has soared from $9.97 billion five years ago in FY 2019 to $14.01 billion this year.

"Some of our newer colleagues have not had to deal with a difficult budget year," he said.

A fix for RI's transportation woes not specified

Of Rhode Island's roads and bridges, he said: "In just the last few weeks, we have endured massive disruptions due to the sudden failure of one of the busiest sections of our interstate highway. Days later, widespread flooding from a powerful storm caused substantial damage to several communities."

No one not already working for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation has been hired to date to diagnose why a major leg of a bridge that carried more than 90,000 vehicles daily broke since its last inspection in July.

Shekarchi did not spell out what he specifically believes lawmakers could, and should, do next in a state that has already tried trucks-only tolls to raise money to fix decades of neglected maintenance, only to get slapped down by a judge in 2023 after years of legal wrangling.

Rhode Island can 'literally see the impact' of climate change

Jumping ahead to climate change, he said: Rhode Island "can literally see the impact of warming temperatures and rising sea levels," and must do more than it has already done – "harnessing the power of wind energy, transitioning to a green economy ... and reducing plastic waste" – to try to halt it.

Labor shortages, LEOBOR and public records

Moving on to the labor shortages plaguing multiples sectors, Shekarchi called what is happening in the health care world especially concerning.

And finally, Shekarchi reiterated his hope that the House and Senate will come to terms and pass a reworked version of Rhode Island's oft criticized "Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights'' early in the new session.

Ruggerio pledged his commitment "to enacting sensible, meaningful reforms' of the law governing police discipline – and an unrelated proposal to double the coverage period for paid leave from the state's Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) from six to 12 weeks.

"This is extremely important for Rhode Island families. Rhode Island used to be a national leader on paid family leave," he said..

Back on the House side, Shekarchi took a bow for "the transparency with which the House operates." In the House, unlike the Senate, "all documents and testimony are posted online for the public to review." (The Senate still refuses.)

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's legislators are back in session at the State House. What to expect.