By Seth Burkett

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, said Thursday that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill.

The bill includes more than $123 million for projects at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville and $139 million for Base Realignment and Closure related programs in Alabama.

The bill provides $20 million for Phase II of the Software Engineering Directorate, $30 million for the first phase of the Army Materiel Command headquarters complex and $73.6 million for construction of the Von Braun Complex Phase III, all at Redstone.

The bill also includes $18.5 million for a veterans cemetery in Birmingham.

The bill will now go to the full Senate for consideration.