The class of 2017: An inside look at the newest lawmakers in Albany

The balance of power in Albany is unchanged going into the 2017 state legislation session, with Democrats controlling the Assembly and Republicans running the Senate.

But the dynamic is different. Senate Republicans are striking a more aggressive stance after Gov. Andrew Cuomo backed their Democratic rivals in the fall elections. Legislators from both parties are unhappy they didn’t get a pay raise. Perhaps fearing a boycott, the governor this week is taking his State of the State on the road, breaking with a decades-long tradition by delivering speeches directly to the people instead of to the Legislature.

Of course, Cuomo still must send his priorities to both houses, if only in writing, and he’ll have to negotiate with them directly in the coming weeks and months.

For many Albany veterans, it’s a disorienting way to start the year. But for two dozen men and women who just took office as state lawmakers this month, this may be just the new normal.

Below, we highlight the top priorities of these new faces in the state Capitol, including six new state senators (excluding state Sen. James Tedisco, who moved up from the Assembly) and 18 new members of the state Assembly.