WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, announced today that Baton Rouge is in line for $5.75 million in appropriations from the Department of Defense.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center will receive $2.75 million to study "personnel readiness and war-fighting performance" and another $1 million for "weight measures and standards for military personnel.

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, which is participating with several other hospitals in the Gulf Coast region to enhance health care in rural and urban areas, will get $1 million to improve preparation for care in natural disasters.

Another $1 million has been earmarked for Baton Rouge-based Innovative Emergency Management to participate in research on capabilities for detecting Improvised Explosive Devices.

"I'm pleased to be able to announce securing these resources, especially when so many of Baton Rouge's leaders are in North Carolina researching how we position Baton Rouge as a technology center," DiResto says. "It's important that everybody knows these exciting and important things are happening right now in Baton Rouge."