mr. chairman , i rise today in strong support of h.r. 27 , the job training improvement act of 2005 , and i certainly applaud the gentleman from california ( chairman mckeon ) and the gentleman from ohio ( chairman boehner ) for their tireless efforts in bringing this important legislation to the floor today . 
as an original cosponsor of this legislation , there are many provisions that will increase the ability of our nation 's workers to achieve greater stability in our ever-changing workforce . 
i would like to mention one aspect of the bill which i am particularly proud of , the inclusion of personal reemployment accounts as an allowable usage of funds under the pilot and demonstration projects of the greater workforce investment act . 
pras will provide american workers who are seeking employment added flexibility to seek the customized training and support services that they need and deserve to expand their career opportunities . 
as my community of southern nevada experienced in the wake of september 11 , our economy proved to be very vulnerable . 
as my community rebounded from this blow , nevadans sought help in adjusting to the realities of the workforce . 
those nevadans who suffered the woes of unemployment sought additional training and support as they sought to increase their career opportunities . 
mr. chairman , i know that pras would have provided my constituents with a valuable option in seeking these services . 
in fact , many constituents have told me they are excited to have this opportunity in case there is another emergency at some point in time . 
in fact , one young girl , lucy , wanted to make sure that there was ample education dollars available ; and i assured her there would be . 
besides providing for an individualized approach to reemployment , the pras provide an added bonus . 
individuals are able to retain the remainder of their account after they return to the workforce . 
these funds can be used for continued training and support . 
as americans return to work , they continue to face hardships until the benefits of employment become manifest . 
pras can help ease this transition . 
mr. chairman , i will include for the record a letter from deputy secretary of labor steven law demonstrating the administration 's continued support of the pra program . 
mr. chairman , i urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation . 
as our workforce continues to engage the ever-changing economy which we are part of , this reauthorization will provide american workers with the tools they need and deserve to improve their career opportunities . 
i recommend final passage of the job training improvement act of 2005 . 
mr. chairman , i include for the record the letter referred to earlier from steven j. law , deputy secretary of labor . 
department of labor , deputy secretary of labor , washington , dc , march 2 , 2005 . 
dear congressman porter : i would like to thank you for your invaluable and effective advocacy of personal reemployment accounts ( pras ) . 
like you we believe that pras will provide thousands of americans seeking reemployment with a new and more flexible means to seek customized training that leads quickly to expanded career opportunities . 
we are enthusiastic about the launch of pra demonstration projects in seven states . 
we are confident that this important pilot program will prove the value of pras and , with enactment of your legislation , even more americans will have access to pras . 
we look forward to working with you , chairman boehner , and chairman mckeon on this innovative plan to help workers in transition . 
thank you again for your leadership on this initiative . 
sincerely , 