[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 9, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 48641-48642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20061]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 154 / Wednesday, August 9, 2000 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 48641]]



OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AJ21


Prevailing Rate Systems; Miscellaneous Changes to Certain Federal 
Wage System Wage Areas

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim rule 
to add Jefferson County, Washington, as an area of application to the 
Kitsap, WA, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal Wage System (FWS) wage 
area. We are also renaming the Champaign-Urbana, IL, FWS wage area as 
the Central Illinois FWS wage area; updating the name of the White 
Sands Proving Grounds in the El Paso, TX, and Albuquerque, NM, wage 
area listings to the White Sands Missile Range; and correcting a 
typographic error in the wage area listing for the Southern Colorado 
wage area.

DATES: Effective Date: This regulation is effective on September 8, 
2000. Comments are due September 8, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Assistant 
Director for Compensation Administration, Workforce Compensation and 
Performance Service, Office of Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 1900 E 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200, or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Hopkins, (202) 606-2848; FAX: 
(202) 606-0824; or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Jefferson County

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is defining Jefferson 
County, Washington, as an area of application to the Kitsap, WA, 
Federal Wage System (FWS) nonappropriated fund (NAF) wage area. The 
Naval Ordnance Center, Pacific Division, Detachment Port Hadlock, now 
has a small club in Jefferson County. The club employs two NAF FWS 
employees. Under section 532.219 of title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations, each NAF wage area ``shall consist of one or more survey 
areas, along with nonsurvey areas, having nonappropriated fund 
employees.'' The Kitsap wage area now consists of one survey county, 
Kitsap County, and one area of application county, Clallam County, WA.
    OPM considers the following regulatory criteria under 5 CFR 532.219 
when defining FWS wage area boundaries:
    (i) Proximity of largest activity in each county;
    (ii) Transportation facilities and commuting patterns; and
    (iii) Similarities of the counties in:
    (A) Overall population;
    (B) Private employment in major industry categories; and
    (C) Kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments.
    Jefferson County cannot be defined as a separate NAF wage area 
because the county does not meet the regulatory criteria to be a 
separate NAF wage area. However, nonsurvey counties can be combined 
with a survey area to form a wage area. Therefore, we are defining 
Jefferson County as an area of application to an existing NAF wage 
area.
    The Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, in the Kitsap survey area, is the 
closest major Federal installation to Port Hadlock. It is approximately 
53 km (33 miles) from Port Hadlock. Commuting patterns data for 
Jefferson County indicate that 6 percent of the county's resident 
workforce commutes to work in the Kitsap survey area. Transportation 
facilities consist of major interstates and highways. Residents of 
Jefferson County who commute into Pierce and Snohomish Counties must 
use a ferry or drive around Puget Sound to reach either of these 
counties. A review of employment and kinds and sizes of industrial 
establishments shows that Jefferson County is closely similar to the 
Kitsap survey area.
    The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the 
national labor-management committee that advises OPM on FWS pay 
matters, reviewed and concurred by consensus with this change.

Miscellaneous Changes

    FPRAC also reviewed the Champaign-Urbana, IL, FWS wage area and 
determined that the wage area's counties are properly defined under the 
regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas. However, the Committee 
agreed by consensus to recommend that OPM rename the wage area as the 
Central Illinois FWS wage area because this name better describes the 
boundaries of the wage area. FPRAC reviewed the El Paso FWS wage area 
and determined that the wage area's counties are also properly defined. 
The Committee agreed by consensus to recommend that OPM update the name 
of the White Sands Proving Grounds because the Department of Defense 
now refers to it as the White Sands Missile Range.
    The White Sands Proving Grounds is listed under the El Paso and 
Albuquerque wage areas; therefore, the name needs to be updated in the 
listing for both wage areas.
    On May 5, 2000, we published a final rule (65 FR 26199) that 
redefined certain counties in the Southern Colorado and Denver, CO, FWS 
wage areas. FPRAC agreed to redefine Pitkin County, CO, from the 
Southern Colorado wage area to the Denver wage area. Because of a 
typographical error, Pitkin County appears under both wage area 
listings in appendix C of subpart B of part 532 of title 5, Code of 
Federal Regulations. We should have removed Pitkin County from the 
Southern Colorado wage area listing in the final rule. Therefore, we 
are removing Pitkin County from the Southern Colorado listing to 
reflect FPRAC's previous recommendation for the county.

Waiver of Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    Pursuant to section 553(b)(3)(B) of title 5, United States Code, I 
find that good cause exists for waiving the general notice of proposed 
rulemaking. The notice is being waived because it is necessary to 
define Jefferson County, WA, to an NAF wage area as soon as possible to 
set pay for new FWS employees in the county.

[[Page 48642]]

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    I certify that these regulations will not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they 
will affect only Federal agencies and employees.

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 532

    Administrative practice and procedure, Freedom of information, 
Government employees, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Wages.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.
    Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management is amending 5 CFR 
part 532 as follows:

PART 532--PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS

    1. The authority citation for part 532 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5343, 5346; Sec. 532.707 also issued under 5 
U.S.C. 552.

    2. Appendix A to subpart B of part 532 is amended for the State of 
Illinois by revising the name of the ``Champaign-Urbana'' wage area to 
read ``Central Illinois''.
    3. Appendix C to subpart B is amended for the State of Colorado by 
revising the wage area listing for Southern Colorado, for the State of 
New Mexico by revising the wage area listing for Albuquerque, and for 
the State of Texas by revising the wage area listing for El Paso, to 
read as follows:

Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and 
Survey Areas

* * * * *

COLORADO

* * * * *

SOUTHERN COLORADO

Survey Area

Colorado:
    El Paso
    Pueblo
    Teller

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

Colorado:
    Alamosa
    Archuleta
    Baca
    Bent
    Chaffee
    Cheyenne
    Conejos
    Costilla
    Crowley
    Custer
    Delta
    Dolores
    Fremont
    Gunnison
    Hinsdale
    Huerfano
    Kiowa
    Kit Carson
    Las Animas
    Lincoln
    Mineral
    Montrose
    Otero
    Ouray
    Prowers
    Rio Grande
    Saguache
    San Juan
    San Miguel
* * * * *

NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE

Survey Area

New Mexico:
    Bernalillo
    Sandoval

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

New Mexico:
    Catron
    Cibola
    Colfax
    Curry
    De Baca
    Guadalupe
    Harding
    Lincoln (Does not include White Sands Missile Range portions.)
    Los Alamos
    Mora
    Quay
    Rio Arriba
    Roosevelt
    San Miguel
    Santa Fe
    Socorro (Does not include White Sands Missile Range portions.)
    Taos
    Torrance
    Union
    Valencia
* * * * *

TEXAS

* * * * *

EL PASO

Survey Area

Texas:
    El Paso
New Mexico:
    Dona Ana
    Otero

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

New Mexico:
    Chaves
    Eddy
    Grant
    Hidalgo
    Lincoln (Only White Sands Missile Range portions.)
    Luna
    Sierra
    Socorro (Only White Sands Missile Range portions.)
Texas:
    Culberson
    Hudspeth
* * * * *
    4. Appendix D to subpart B is amended for the State of Washington 
by revising the wage area listing for Kitsap to read as follows:

Appendix D to Subpart B of Part 532--Nonappropriated Fund Wage and 
Survey Areas

* * * * *

WASHINGTON

* * * * *

KITSAP

Survey Area

Washington:
    Kitsap

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

Washington:
    Clallam
    Jefferson
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 00-20061 Filed 8-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-P