12.20.11 Louisiana will see about $500 million from the massive spending plan approved by Congress over the weekend.

The money will come for everything from dredging the Mississippi River to potential grants to enhance military nutrition through LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

Congress approved a $915 billion spending plan that will cover the remainder of the fiscal year, unlike previous years where the money was issued in continuing stop-and-start resolutions over several months.

“It’s really a step forward for Congress to actually pass an appropriations bill,”Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said. “It’s a victory.”