[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 66 (Monday, April 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16631-16632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8724]
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
January 1997 Pay Adjustments
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The rates of basic pay and locality payments for certain
categories of Federal employees were adjusted in January 1997, as
authorized by the President. This notice documents those pay
adjustments for the public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sharon Herzberg, Office of Compensation Policy, Human Resources Systems
Service, Office of Personnel Management, (202) 606-2858, FAX (202) 606-
4264, or email to [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 22, 1996, the President
transmitted to Congress an alternative plan under the authority of 5
U.S.C. 5304a that established the January 1997 locality pay adjustments
for General Schedule (GS) employees in the 48 contiguous States and the
District of Columbia. On December 27, 1996, the President signed
Executive Order 13033 (62 FR 252). This order implemented increases in
rates of basic pay for various categories of Federal employees
effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning
on or after January 1, 1997, as required by 5 U.S.C. 5303. The 1997
General Schedule, reflecting the 2.3-percent general increase, was
published in Schedule 1 of Executive Order 13033. Executive Order 13033
also included the percentage amounts of the 1997 locality payments as
established by the President's alternative plan of November 22, 1996.
(See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of Executive order 13033.) The
publication of this notice satisfies the requirement in section 5(b) of
Executive Order 13033 that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
publish appropriate notice of the 1997 locality payments in Federal
Register.
Locality payments are authorized for General Schedule employees
under 5 U.S.C. 5304 and 5304a. They apply in the 48 contiguous States
and the District of Columbia. In 1997, there are 30 separate locality
pay areas with locality payments ranging from 4.81 percent to 11.52
percent. These 1997 locality pay percentages, which replaced the
locality pay percentages that were applicable in 1996, became effective
on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or
after January 1, 1997. An employee's locality-adjusted annual rate of
pay is computed by increasing his or her scheduled annual rate of basic
pay (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(8) and 5 CFR 531.602) by the
applicable locality pay percentage. (See 5 CFR 531.604 and 531.605.)
On December 5, 1996, the Director of OPM, on behalf of the
President's Pay Agent, extended the 1997 locality-based comparability
payments to the same Governmentwide and single-agency categories of
non-GS employees that were authorized to receive the 1996 locality
payments. The Governmentwide categories include members of the Senior
Executive Service (SES), the Foreign Service, and the Senior Foreign
Service; employees in senior-level (SL) and scientific or professional
(ST) positions; administrative law judges; and members of Boards of
Contracts Appeals.
Public Law 104-208, September 30, 1996, provided that there would
be no increase in the rates of basic pay for the Executive Schedule. By
law, the maximum rate of basic pay for members of the SES may not
exceed level IV of the Executive Schedule. The President has
established six rates of basic pay for members of the SES with the
maximum SES rate of basic pay (ES-6) equivalent to the rate of basic
pay for level IV (currently $115,700). (See 5 U.S.C. 5382(b) and
Schedule 5 of Executive Order 13033.) Schedule 4 of Executive Order
13033 reflects a decision by the President to increase the rates of
basic pay for members of the SES by 2.3 percent at levels ES-1 through
ES-4. Since level IV of the Executive Schedule was not increased, the
new rate of basic pay for ES-5 is $115,700 (an increase of about 1.5
percent), and the rate of basic pay for ES-6 rate remains unchanged at
$115,700.
The minimum rate of basic pay for senior-level (SL) and scientific
or professional (ST) positions increased by 2.3 percent (to $85,073)
because it is calculated as a percentage of the minimum rate of basic
pay for GS-15 of the General Schedule. The maximum rate of basic pay
for SL and ST positions remains unchanged because it is linked to level
IV of the Executive Schedule ($115,700), which remains unchanged. Rates
of basic pay for administrative law judges and members of Boards of
Contract Appeals remain unchanged in 1997 because these rates are
calculated as a percentage of the rate for level IV of the Executive
Schedule, which remains unchanged.
OPM has published ``Salary Table No. 97'' (OPM Doc. 124-48-6,
January 1997), which provides complete salary tables incorporating the
1997 pay adjustments, information on general pay administration
matters, locality pay area definitions, Internal Revenue Service
withholding tables, and other related information. The rates of pay
shown in ``Salary Table No. 97'' are the official rates of pay for
affected employees and are hereby incorporated as part of this notice.
Copies of ``Salary Table No. 97'' may be purchased from the Government
Printing Office (GPO) by calling (202) 512-1800 or FAX at (202) 512-
2250. Copies of Salary Table 97'' may also be ordered online from GPO
at http://www.gpo.gov/su__docs/sale/prf/prf.html. In addition,
individual pay schedules may be downloaded directly from OPM's
electronic bulletin board, which is reached by dialing via modem (202)
606-4800. Pay tables may also be downloaded from OPM's Internet web
cite at http://www.opm.gov/pay.
[[Page 16632]]
Office of Personnel Management.
James B. King,
Director.
[FR Doc. 97-8724 Filed 4-4-97; 8:45 am]
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