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Deal making is certainly nothing new in the political process, and just a few weeks into the legislative session, the elements of what the various interests are seeking have now been articulated.

"Well, I think what we generally tend to see are two big bargains, if you will. One is the budget," says Steven Greenberg of the Siena College Research Institute.

Greenberg says Governor Andrew Cuomo has a lot of leverage with the budget, since that literally controls the purse strings. So far, two of his major priorities include the implementation of a new teacher evaluation system, and a new pension tier for future public employees.

"The Senate is going to be willing to go along with a lot of what the governor has on his agenda this year because they want the governor to sign reapportionment," says Greenberg.

For the Assembly, Speaker Sheldon Silver wants to raise the minimum wage, but members of his caucus are much less enthusiastic about a new pension tier.

"One thing has nothing to do with the other. That would kind of be absurd, and I don't know where the senator is on that anyway. It's not something that really should be tied," says Silver.

But in the end, Greenberg says it's the process of horse trading that eventually moves everyone's agenda forward. In an election year for the legislature and not the governor, members are looking to claim victory.

"The second thing that happens in the legislative session is often referred to as ‘the big ugly,’ where all of these disparate issues will come together,” says Greenberg.

Lawmakers are also looking for a pay raise this year, something that is always tricky politically. It remains to be seen if that, too, becomes a chip in the bargaining process.