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 , 