[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 79 (Monday, April 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 20340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10402]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


January 1999 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 1999, as 
authorized by the President. This notice documents those pay 
adjustments for the public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denise Jenkins, Office of Compensation 
Administration, Workforce Compensation and Performance Service, Office 
of Personnel Management, (202) 606-2858, FAX (202) 606-0824, or email 
to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 7, 1998, the President signed 
Executive Order 13106 at 63 FR 68151, published on December 9, 1998, 
which established the January 1999 across-the-board adjustments for the 
statutory pay systems and the 1999 locality pay adjustments for General 
Schedule (GS) employees in the 48 contiguous States and the District of 
Columbia. These adjustments were made in accordance with section 647 of 
the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 1999, as 
contained in Division A, section 101(h), of the Omnibus Consolidated 
and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999 (Public Law 105-
277, October 21, 1998). The 1999 General Schedule, reflecting a 3.1 
percent general increase, was published as Schedule 1 of Executive 
Order 13106. Executive Order 13106 also included the percentage amounts 
of the 1999 locality payments. (See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of 
Executive Order 13106.) The publication of this notice satisfies the 
requirement in section 5(b) of Executive Order 13106 that the Office of 
Personnel Management (OPM) publish appropriate notice of the 1999 
locality payments in the Federal Register.
    Locality payments are authorized for General Schedule employees 
under 5 U.S.C. 5304. They apply in the 48 contiguous States and the 
District of Columbia. In 1999, there are 32 separate locality pay areas 
with locality payments ranging from 5.87 percent to 13.06 percent. 
These 1999 locality pay percentages, which replaced the locality pay 
percentages that were applicable in 1998, became effective on the first 
day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 
1999. 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 7, 1998, the President's Pay Agent extended the 1999 
locality-based comparability payments to the same Governmentwide and 
single-agency categories of non-GS employees that were authorized to 
receive the 1998 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.
    In accordance with section 621 of the Treasury and General 
Government Appropriations Act, 1999, Executive Order 13106 provided no 
increase in the rates for the Executive Schedule. The Executive order 
reflects a decision by the President to increase the rates of basic pay 
for SES members by 3.1 percent (rounded to the nearest $100) at levels 
ES-1 through ES-4. Since the maximum rate of basic pay for SES members 
is limited by law to the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule, 
which was not increased, the ES-5 and ES-6 rates of basic pay were not 
increased in 1999.
    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, the ALJ and BCA rates of basic pay were not 
increased. Also, the maximum rate of basic pay for senior-level (SL) 
and scientific or professional (ST) positions was not increased because 
it is tied to the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule. The 
minimum rate of basic pay for SL/ST positions is equal to 120 percent 
of the minimum rate of basic pay for GS-15, and it was increased by 3.1 
percent (to $89,728) because of the 3.1 percent across-the-board GS pay 
adjustment. (See 5 U.S.C. 5376.)
    OPM has published ``Salary Tables for 1999'' (OPM Doc. 124-48-6, 
March 1999), which provides complete salary tables incorporating the 
1999 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 1999'' are the official rates of pay for 
affected employees and are hereby incorporated as part of this notice. 
Copies of ``Salary Tables for 1999'' may be purchased from the 
Government Printing Office (GPO) by calling (202) 512-1800 or FAX (202) 
512-2250. Copies of ``Salary Tables for 1999'' 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. 99-10402 Filed 4-23-99; 8:45 am]
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