Lawmakers across the Empire State are due back in the legislative chambers this week for the start of the session, where a range of topics — including housing production and mayoral control— are expected to dominate the agenda in the first half of 2024. Members from the Assembly and Senate will once again start the people’s work Jan. 3 for the first day of the six-month legislative session. According to the state Legislature’s official calendar, members are expected to convene 61 times from Jan. 3 through June 6. The first half of the session involves hammering out a state budget that New York…