[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 209 (Friday, October 27, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 64337-64338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-27514]



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 Rules and Regulations
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 209 / Friday, October 27, 2000 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 64337]]



OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AJ21


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

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final 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 White Sands 
Proving Grounds in the El Paso, TX, and Albuquerque, NM, wage area 
listings to White Sands Missile Range; and correcting a typographical 
error in the wage area listing for the Southern Colorado wage area.

DATES: Effective Date: This regulation is effective on November 27, 
2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chenty I. Carpenter by phone at (202) 
606-2838, by FAX at (202) 606-4264, or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 9, 2000, the Office of Personnel 
Management (OPM) published an interim rule (65 FR 48641) to add 
Jefferson County, Washington, as an area of application to the Kitsap, 
WA, nonappropriated fund (NAF) wage area and to make miscellaneous 
changes in certain Federal wage system wage areas. The interim rule had 
a 30-day period for public comment, during which we received no 
comments.

Jefferson County

    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 consisted 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 White Sands Proving Grounds because the Department of Defense now 
refers to it as White Sands Missile Range. White Sands Proving Grounds 
was listed under the El Paso and Albuquerque wage areas; therefore, we 
have updated the name 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 appeared 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. This final rule 
corrects the previous final rule and reflects FPRAC's recommendation 
for the county.

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.


    Accordingly, under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 5343, the interim rule 
(65 FR 48641) amending 5 CFR part 532 published on August 9, 2000, is 
adopted as final with no changes.


[[Page 64338]]


U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.
[FR Doc. 00-27514 Filed 10-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-P