WASHINGTON – The omnibus appropriations bill approved by Congress includes more than $2.3 million in federal funding for health care and education projects in Maine, U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins, both Maine Republicans, announced Wednesday.

The $555 billion spending bill has been passed by the House and Senate and awaits the president’s signature.

The senators said in a joint statement that “this bill includes funds, which we requested, that will enable Mainers living in rural communities to utilize technology and innovation to receive better access to quality health care. It provides much-needed dollars to help improve access to education to rural and low-income students throughout our state.”

The Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill includes funding for these Maine projects:

. $95,000 for facility expansion for dental services at Fish River Rural Health in Eagle Lake.

. $140,000 for emergency department modernization at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth.

. $102,000 for the allied health education and training center at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle.

. $131,000 for facility expansion for mental health services at St. Croix Regional Family Health Center in Princeton.

. $95,000 for Spurwink to improve mental health services to children in Maine.

. $95,000 for substance abuse treatment at the Maine Lighthouse Corp. in Bar Harbor.

. $95,000 for First Book’s rural outreach initiative in Maine.

. $95,000 for the awareness training program at the Cromwell Disabilities Center in Portland.

. $95,000 for the Maine Alliance for Arts Education to improve art education in rural and impoverished areas.

. $140,000 for the Sports Done Right program at the University of Maine in Orono.

. $102,000 for expanding nursing education at Central Maine Community College in Auburn.

. $95,000 for the early language and literacy initiative at Waldo County Preschool and Family Services in Belfast.

. $479,000 for the Women, Work and Community program in Augusta.

. $192,000 for the metalworking and machine tool technology program at Central Maine Community College in Auburn.