The Berrien County Board of Commissioners is considering the ramifications of this week’s elections for the Michigan Legislature.

Commissioners heard Thursday from Michael Krombeen with Midwest Strategy Group, their consultant in Lansing, about what the shift of power next year will mean.

First of all, Krombeen said because Democrats are losing control of the House, they only have a couple of months to push through things Republicans would oppose. That’s going to mean a wild lame duck session.

“I don’t know if we’ll be here until quite Christmas Eve, but I am gearing up for a wilder lame duck with a long agenda,” Krombeen said. “Whereas had the Democrats picked up a couple of seats, perhaps maybe some of those things  would have been pushed off to 2025.”

Krombeen said a court ruling this year that would require paid leave for all workers and also put tipped workers at the same minimum wage as everyone else is likely to be addressed soon. Democrats are expected to respond to restaurant and other small business owners who warn this will harm them. Krombeen expected a bill to be introduced right away, and by a Democrat who has lost their reelection bid this week.

“They’re trying to take the political considerations out of some of these things and try to make them about how do we find a fix without giving somebody a political edge or making somebody a hero or those types of things. So, I think that’s very much on the agenda.”

Krombeen said legislation to give tax breaks to large data centers is also likely to get a push during lame duck. One bill of the two bill package has already passed, but environmental groups stopped the other one from passing this year.

Krombeen said may be a bipartisan effort to get that package over the finish line by the end of the year.