Indiana Governor To Talk About Hate Crimes Law, School Money

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb says he'll talk about the need for a state hate crimes law during his State of the State speech.

The Republican governor will be giving his third such speech Tuesday evening before a joint session of the Indiana House and Senate.

Holcomb said Monday he would also discuss education funding but didn't give details. Holcomb and Republican legislative leaders have talked about the importance of boosting teacher salaries, but the governor has proposed just a 2 percent funding increase for public schools each of the next two years.

Holcomb says Indiana needs to adopt a law specifically against crimes fueled by biases over race, religion and sexual orientation.

Democratic Rep. Greg Porter of Indianapolis says Holcomb must show passionate support to help the proposal become law.