Amid high tensions between Governor Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers, the state legislature officially started its session for 2017 in Albany Wednesday. Zack Fink filed the following report.

Unlike many things in the state Capitol, the outcome was predictable. Democrat Carl Heastie was re-elected as Assembly Speaker, and Republican John Flanagan was re-elected as Senate majority leader.

But this year is different in certain respects because by most accounts, relations between the two legislative leaders and Governor Andrew Cuomo are at an all-time low.

A fight over a pay raise ended in a fizzle last month, and lawmakers are blaming the governor for blocking it.

"That's water under the bridge. New year. Raise is not happening for anybody, which I think is detrimental not only to the the legislature but to the executive recruiting and and attracting top-flight commissioners. It's tough," Flanagan said.

Heastie was asked if he plans on blocking the governor's agenda this year.

"In the future, if we need to disagree, we will do that. But it's always our mission, our constituents sent us here to do a job, and that's what we want to focus on. I don't want forecast what may happen on potential disagreements," he said.

Flanagan did not rule out hearings into the executive branch, something he has previously been hesitant to do.

"Whatever we may do, it'll be done the right way, it'll be done legally, with a full discourse publicly," he said.

Democratic senators protested on the Senate floor about rules that were adopted, allowing the Senate Ethics Committee members to potentially exclude Democratic lawmakers.

"It has always been, and continues to be in the Assembly, an equal number of minority and majority members on committees. There are twice as many Democrats as Republicans in the Assembly. So if you want to use them as an example, that's what I would like to do," said state Senator Michael Gianaris of Queens.

Next week, Cuomo will forgo the usual State of the State message at the Capitol and take his message out on the road. That drew criticism from Flanagan and a quick retort from Cuomo's office that the majority leader should "take a history lesson," since the speech wasn't always delivered here.