[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 30272]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14547]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


January 1998 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 1998, as 
authorized by the President. This notice documents those pay 
adjustments for the public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharon Herzberg, Office of 
Compensation Administration, Workforce Compensation and Performance 
Service, Office of Personnel Management, (202) 606-2858, FAX (202) 606-
0864, or email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 29, 1997, the President 
transmitted to Congress an alternative plan under the authority of 5 
U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5304a that established the January 1998 across-the-
board adjustments for statutory pay systems and the 1998 locality pay 
adjustments for General Schedule (GS) employees in the 48 contiguous 
States and the District of Columbia. On December 29, 1997, the 
President signed Executive Order 13071 (62 FR 68521). This order 
implemented increases in rates of basic pay for various categories of 
Federal employees in 1998, as required by 5 U.S.C. 5303 and other 
statutes. The 1998 General Schedule, reflecting the 2.3 percent general 
increase, was published as Schedule 1 of Executive Order 13071. 
Executive Order 13071 also included the percentage amounts of the 1998 
locality payments as established by the President's alternative plan of 
August 29, 1997. (See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of Executive Order 
13071.) The publication of this notice satisfies the requirement in 
section 5(b) of Executive Order 13071 that the Office of Personnel 
Management (OPM) publish appropriate notice of the 1998 locality 
payments in the 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 1998, there are 32 separate locality 
pay areas with locality payments ranging from 5.42 percent to 12.06 
percent. These 1998 locality pay percentages, which replaced the 
locality pay percentages that were applicable in 1997, became effective 
on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or 
after January 1, 1998. 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 4, 1997, the Director of OPM, on behalf of the 
President's Pay Agent, extended the 1998 locality-based comparability 
payments to the same Governmentwide and single-agency categories of 
non-GS employees that were authorized to receive the 1997 locality 
payments. The Governmentwide categories include members of the Senior 
Executive Service (SES), the Foreign Service, the Senior Foreign 
Service, employees in senior-level (SL) and scientific or professional 
(ST) positions, administrative law judges, and members of Boards of 
Contract Appeals. By law, the maximum locality rate of pay for these 
employees is the rate for level III of the Executive Schedule.
    Executive Order 13071 shows the 1998 Executive Schedule reflecting 
the 2.3 percent pay adjustment granted under 5 U.S.C. 5318. The 
Executive order also reflects a decision by the President to increase 
the rates of basic pay for members of the Senior Executive Service 
(SES) by 2.3 percent (rounded to the nearest $100) at levels ES-1 
through ES-6. Because of previous pay cap restrictions, the new ES-5 
and ES-6 rates of basic pay are the same.
    The rates of basic pay for administrative law judges (ALJs) and 
Board of Contract Appeals (BCA) members are calculated as a percentage 
of the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule. (See 5 U.S.C. 5372 
and 5372a.) Therefore, ALJ and BCA rates have been increased by 2.3 
percent. Also, the maximum rate of basic pay for senior-level (SL) and 
scientific or professional (ST) positions has been increased by 2.3 
percent (to $118,400) because it is tied to the rate for level IV of 
the Executive Schedule. The minimum rate for SL/ST positions is equal 
to 120 percent of the minimum rate of basic pay for GS-15, and it has 
been increased by 2.3 percent (to $87,030) because of the 2.3 percent 
across-the-board GS pay adjustment. (See 5 U.S.C. 5376.)
    OPM has published ``Salary Tables for 1998'' (OPM Doc. 124-48-6, 
March 1998), which provides complete salary tables incorporating the 
1998 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 Tables for 1998'' are the official rates of pay for 
affected employees and are hereby incorporated as part of this notice. 
Copies of ``Salary Tables for 1998'' may be purchased from the 
Government Printing Office (GPO) by calling (202) 512-1800 or FAX (202) 
512-2250. Copies of ``Salary Tables for 1998'' may also be ordered 
directly from GPO on the Internet at http://www.gpo.gov/su__docs/sale/
prf/prf.html.
    In addition, pay tables may be downloaded from OPM's Internet 
website at http://www.opm.gov/oca/payrates/index.htm. Pay schedules 
also may be downloaded directly from OPM's electronic bulletin board, 
OPM ONLINE, which is reached by dialing (202) 606-4800 via modem.

Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.
[FR Doc. 98-14547 Filed 6-2-98; 8:45 am]
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