The Indiana Finance Authority will consider approving the new fee hike deal on Thursday.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch are planning international economic development trips to help strengthen the state's automotive and agriculture industries.

State officials say $600 million of the investment will be used to speed up construction of Interstate 69 between Martinsville and Indianapolis.

Religious conservatives who've long opposed a hate crimes law say Holcomb's support won't make a difference. And they warned the Republican governor that he's not as popular as he thinks.

Hate crimes legislation has failed for years. But Gov. Eric Holcomb recently pledged to work next session to ensure it passes after vandals defaced a Carmel synagogue with anti-Semitic graffiti.

Legislation to increase penalties for crimes committed because of a victim's characteristics - such as race, religion, and gender identity - failed for years. But now Holcomb says he'll work to find consensus on the issue ahead of the 2019 session.

The governor says he believes the four women who've accused the state attorney general of groping them at a party in March.

The governor was in Montana on an anniversary vacation with his wife earlier this week when the accusations surfaced.

The Holcomb administration hired an independent investigator to evaluate DCS after former director Mary Beth Bonaventura's resignation letter accused Holcomb of putting children's lives at risk.

The governor's office says he plans to meet with government, business and academic leaders in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France.