Massachusetts senators meet Thursday in the first formal session of the year where they are expected to take up three bills dealing with wheelchair warranty protections, interactions between police and persons with autism, and fentanyl test strips.

In a brief meeting Tuesday morning to close out the first half of the two-year 2023-2024 legislative session, Senate lawmakers teed up the trio of bills for debate later this week.

The Thursday session represents the first major actions of the year in a chamber where its top leader identified prescription drug reform and early education care as 2024 priorities.

Legislation from Sen. John Cronin, a Lunenburg Democrat, requires wheelchair manufacturers who sell their products directly or through a dealer to provide consumers an “express warranty” that lasts at least two years and cover any needed repairs for a “nonconformity.”

The proposal also directs manufacturers to provide wheelchair customers with a temporary loaner within four business days for “standard” equipment or eight business days for customized, adapted or modified chairs. If a manufacturer violates the section, the minimum warranty period would be extended to three years, according to the bill.

Cronin said the bill is three years in the making and passed the Senate during the 2021-2022 legislative session.

“Right now, in the state, the protections that exist are inadequate,” Cronin told the Herald. “We’ve heard so many really harrowing, horrifying stories about people whose wheelchairs break and they are left stranded for weeks or even months because they can’t access repair services.”

Another proposal directs the Registry of Motor Vehicles alongside the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and other organizations that advocate for people with autism to design a blue envelope that provides guidance on “ways to enhance effective communication between a police officer and a person with autism spectrum disorder.”

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jo Comerford, a Northampton Democrat, also requires the blue envelope to include information on people with autism who are capable of holding a driver’s license, registration, and insurance card.

A proposal from Sen. Cindy Creem would legalize the use or administration of fentanyl test strips to “determine whether a substance contains fentanyl or its analogues” from criminal or civil liability or professional disciplinary action.

The proposal does not apply “to acts of gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct,” according to its text.

Creem said the idea for the legislation came to her from Newton Police Chief John Carmichael Jr., who recognized departments and people in Massachusetts could not use the tool. Creem said the Department of Public Health ran a fentanyl test strip pilot program that had “very positive results.”

“We certainly want to make sure that we can do anything to reduce the use of fentanyl,” Creem told the Herald.

Senate President Karen Spilka, in a statement on social media, said she wants the chamber to make free community college “a reality” after a Gov. Maura Healey-backed initiative on the matter became law last year.

The Ashland Democrat also said the majority party is “on track” to release gun safety legislation before the end of January.

“I want to get a prescription drug reform bill to the Governor’s desk that will save lives and help people in our state who desperately need lower costs for their medications,” Spilka said in a statement. “And lastly, I want to enact an early education and care bill, which will benefit our kids, families, and employers.”