This year’s edition of the state Legislature is readying to both end on May 2 and decide how real it is going to be.

Some years, the Democratic-controlled Legislature’s work product runs between “We ain’t got no more money” palpitations, to cries that “We lost our way, who will lead us out of this valley of chaos and confusion?”

This year the 76 elected men and women started work in January clutching an amazing bundle of hopes and dreams.

There was sports betting, legalizing marijuana, paying everyone a living wage, plus housing and getting those good schools we keep talking about.

But first, as is usually done, any Hawaii legislative session must start by paying the bill to run the place. This year the first bill signed into law by Gov. David Ige puts up more than $30 million to crank up the state House and Senate, plus the reference bureau, auditor, ombudsman and ethics commission.

Next is the easy job of doing nothing and getting paid more for it. The state Salary Commission recently came out recommending 10 percent increases for legislators. According to state law, if the legislators do nothing and don’t pass a resolution saying “Don’t give us a raise,” they will see salaries rise from $62,604 today to $74,160 in 2024. Nice work for standing in the shadows. The governor, other state executives and the Judiciary are also going to get more.

The biggest money bill was another effort to raise the general excise tax from 4 percent to 4.5 percent, with the extra money going to education. This failed as a state constitutional amendment in the last election and was lurking around the Legislature as a proposed law.

After passing the Senate, Rep. Sylvia Luke, House Finance Committee chairwoman, announced its demise last week. She said in a Honolulu Star-Advertiser report that the Department of Education “needs … a lot of work on accountability before we increase any taxes.”

Another big bill in the “lurker” category deals with the controversial traffic cameras. The bill again tried to start up a plan to put cameras at traffic lights to photograph the license plates of red-light-running drivers. Car owners would be sent a ticket. Despite the rising number of pedestrian fatalities, passage is far from assured.

Ige’s attempt to raise gasoline tax, weight tax and vehicle registration fees for road repair is back again this year — and the $40 million tax increase is again hugely unpopular.

So despised was the idea that, according to a Hawaii News Now report on a Kapolei High School public hearing last week, “The rowdy reaction from the crowd was so harsh, police were called out as angry residents challenged state officials on their tax proposal.”

Finally, the hardy legislative perennial, a minimum wage increase, appears to be thriving, with a broad base of support and the expected opposition from business interests.

The odd catch this year is including a requirement that state workers be guaranteed a minimum of $17 and gradual pay raise for other workers to $15 an hour.

In total, this year’s legislative end product appears to be less about hopes and dreams, and more about doing the possible in small steps.