[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 148 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 49878-49879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19460]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 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. 67, No. 148 / Thursday, August 1, 2002 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 49878]]



OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AJ64


Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Scranton-Wilkes-
Barre, PA, Appropriated Fund Wage Area

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule 
to redefine Tioga County, Pennsylvania, from the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, 
PA, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area to the 
Rochester, New York, FWS wage area. This redefinition would reflect 
economic trends in the area that indicate a linkage exists between 
Tioga County and the Rochester wage area and would more accurately 
conform to the regulatory criteria we use to define FWS wage areas.

DATES: We must receive comments by September 3, 2002.

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: Chenty I. Carpenter at (202) 606-2838; 
FAX at (202) 606-4264; or e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is 
proposing to redefine Tioga County, Pennsylvania, from the Scranton-
Wilkes-Barre, PA, Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area to the Rochester, 
NY, FWS wage area. Tioga County is currently an area of application in 
the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre wage area. This change is necessary because 
economic trends indicate more linkage between Tioga County and the 
Rochester survey area than to the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre survey area.
    OPM considers the following regulatory criteria under 5 CFR 532.211 
when defining FWS wage area boundaries:
    (i) Distance, transportation facilities, and geographic features;
    (ii) Commuting patterns; and
    (iii) Similarities in overall population, employment, and the kinds 
and sizes of private industrial establishments.
    Based on our analysis of the regulatory criteria for defining 
appropriated fund FWS wage areas, we find that Tioga County would be 
more appropriately defined as part of the Rochester wage area. The 
distance criterion favors the Rochester wage area more than the 
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre wage area. The commuting patterns criterion 
favors the Rochester wage area. An additional factor we considered is 
that Tioga County is adjacent to the Rochester survey area, but not to 
the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre survey area. This change would affect about 
10 employees in the Department of the Army and 1 employee in the 
Department of the Interior. These employees would be placed on the wage 
schedule for the Rochester wage area on the first day of the first 
applicable pay period beginning on or after 30 days following 
publication of the final regulations.
    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. Based on 
its review of the regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas, 
FPRAC recommended no other changes in the geographic definitions of the 
Rochester or Scranton-Wilkes-Barre FWS wage areas.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    I certify that these regulations would not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they 
would 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.

Office of Personnel Management.
Kay Coles James,
Director.
    Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management proposes to amend 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. In appendix C to subpart B, the wage area listing for the State 
of New York is amended by revising the listing for Rochester; and for 
the State of Pennsylvania, by revising the listing for Scranton-Wilkes-
Barre, to read as follows:

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

* * * * *

NEW YORK

* * * * *

ROCHESTER

Survey Area

New York:
    Livingston
    Monroe
    Ontario
    Orleans
    Steuben
    Wayne

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

New York:
    Allegany
    Chemung
    Genesee
    Schuyler
    Seneca
    Wyoming
    Yates
Pennsylvania:
    Tioga

* * * * *

PENNSYLVANIA

* * * * *

SCRANTON-WILKES-BARRE

Survey Area

Pennsylvania:
    Lackawanna
    Luzerne
    Monroe

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

Pennsylvania:

[[Page 49879]]

    Bradford
    Carbon
    Lycoming (Excluding Allenwood Federal Prison Camp)
    Pike
    Sullivan
    Susquehanna
    Wayne
    Wyoming
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 02-19460 Filed 7-31-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P