Rhode Island Senate President Valarie Lawson, center, is shown at the rostrum during the opening night of the 2026 legislative session at the State House in Providence on Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
The first day of the 2026 legislative session featured all the hallmarks of an opening celebration.
Lawmakers exchanged hugs and posed for selfies. Gun safety advocates, health care workers and lobbyists lined the State House second-floor corridors. The shrill reverberation of the 4 p.m. bell signaled legislators and onlookers to attention…