Make wishtv.com your home page

Gov. Holcomb says Fiat Chrysler to invest $400M in Kokomo plant

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. (WISH Photo, File)

BREAKING: In the State of the State address tonight, Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb confirmed that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), a global auto manufacturer, intends to diversify its Kokomo manufacturing operations with an investment of nearly $400 million to expand and retool its Indiana Transmission Plant II for production of a new engine.

The governor also said he will recommend the legislature spent $250 million to prepay the state’s obligations to the teachers’ retirement fund, which will allow $50 million a year to be redirected to teacher pay.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Eric Holcomb will give the State of the State address at 7 p.m. Tuesday from the Statehouse.

The annual address is given to lawmakers from the House and Senate and several guests. It will air on WISH-TV and stream on WISHTV.com and the WISH-TV app.

The governor is expected to talk about the state’s $2 billion in cash reserves, raising the smoking and vaping age to 21, health care, and uncoupling teacher pay from the less-than-stellar results from the standardized iLearn test.

The governor is not expected to talk about medical or recreational marijuana, although a growing number of Hoosiers are talking about it. Democrat state Sen. Karen Tallian and Republican state Rep. Jim Lucas have each filed bills to decriminalize possession of less than an ounce of of marijuana. Holcomb has said repeatedly that he does not believe recreational marijuana is destined to be legal in Indiana.

News 8’s David Williams will have a recap of the address on News 8 at 10 and 11.