[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12280-12282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6364]


 ========================================================================
 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.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 55 / Tuesday, March 24, 2009 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 12280]]



OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AL83


Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the New Haven-Hartford 
and New London, CT, Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Areas

AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a 
proposed rule that would define the New Haven-Hartford and New London, 
CT, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas by county 
rather than by city and town boundaries. Defining the New England FWS 
wage areas by primarily considering county boundaries would provide 
greater consistency in how OPM defines FWS wage areas and would improve 
the ability to make direct data comparisons with Census Bureau data. 
The proposed rule would define the New Haven-Hartford wage area to 
include Hartford and New Haven Counties, CT, as the survey area and 
Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, and Tolland Counties, CT, as the area 
of application and the New London wage area to include New London 
County, CT, as the survey area and Windham County, CT, as the area of 
application.

DATES: We must receive comments on or before April 23, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Charles D. Grimes III, Deputy 
Associate Director for Performance and Pay Systems, Strategic Human 
Resources Policy Division, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Room 
7H31, 1900 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200; e-mail [email protected]; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606-2838; e-
mail [email protected]; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management 
(OPM) is engaged in an ongoing project to review the geographic 
definitions of Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. 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.
    FWS wage areas in New England differ from the majority of FWS wage 
areas in that they are geographically defined according to the 
boundaries of cities and towns rather than by the boundaries of 
counties. Under its methodology for defining metropolitan areas, the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) uses counties rather than cities 
and towns as the primary geographic entities for defining metropolitan 
areas in New England. OMB uses cities and towns in New England to 
define a secondary set of metropolitan areas. Because OMB considers its 
county-based metropolitan areas the primary set of metropolitan areas 
for New England, we propose to primarily apply the county-based 
metropolitan area definitions to FWS wage area boundaries. Defining the 
New England FWS wage areas by primarily considering county boundaries 
will provide greater consistency in how the OPM defines FWS wage areas 
and will improve the ability to make direct data comparisons with 
Census Bureau data. For example, some statistical programs, such as the 
Census Bureau's County Business Patterns, provide data by counties.
    OPM recently completed reviews of the definitions of the New Haven-
Hartford and New London, CT, wage areas and, based on analyses of the 
regulatory criteria for defining wage areas, is proposing the changes 
described below.

New Haven-Hartford, CT

    This proposed rule would define the New Haven-Hartford, CT, 
appropriated fund FWS wage area by county rather than by city and town 
boundaries. The proposed rule would define the New Haven-Hartford wage 
area to include Hartford and New Haven Counties, CT, as the survey area 
and Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, and Tolland Counties, CT, as the 
area of application.
    The New Haven-Hartford survey area currently includes 1 town of 
Fairfield County, 15 towns of Hartford County, 2 towns of Middlesex 
County, and 11 towns of New Haven County. We propose that the New 
Haven-Hartford survey area be changed to include all of Hartford and 
New Haven Counties. The survey area would be conveniently located in 
the central part of the wage area and would closely reflect the 
prevailing rates paid by businesses in the wage area. Stratford town in 
Fairfield County and Cromwell and Middlefield towns in Middlesex 
County, currently part of the New Haven-Hartford survey area, would be 
redefined to the New Haven-Hartford area of application.
    Hartford, Middlesex, and Tolland Counties comprise the Hartford-
West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). 
Old Saybrook town in Middlesex County is part of the current New London 
wage area. Somers and Somersville towns in Tolland County are part of 
the current Central and Western Massachusetts wage area. OPM 
regulations at 5 CFR 532.211 do not permit splitting MSAs for the 
purpose of defining a wage area, except in very unusual circumstances 
(e.g., organizational relationships among closely located Federal 
activities). OPM proposes to redefine Old Saybrook town in Middlesex 
County and Somers and Somersville towns in Tolland County to the New 
Haven-Hartford area of application so that the entire Hartford-West 
Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA is in one wage area. No FWS employees 
currently work in Middlesex or Tolland Counties. With these changes, 
the New Haven-Hartford area of application would include all of 
Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, and Tolland Counties.
    These changes would be effective for the full-scale wage survey in 
the New Haven-Hartford wage area scheduled to begin in April 2011.

New London, CT

    This proposed rule would define the New London, CT, appropriated 
fund FWS wage area by county rather than by city and town boundaries. 
The proposed rule would define the New London wage area to include New 
London

[[Page 12281]]

County, CT, as the survey area and Windham County, CT, as the area of 
application.
    The New London survey area currently includes 28 towns of New 
London County, CT, 1 town of Middlesex County, CT, and 2 towns of 
Washington County, RI. We propose that the New London survey area be 
changed to include all of New London County.
    OPM regulations at 5 CFR 532.211 do not permit splitting 
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) for the purpose of defining a 
wage area, except in very unusual circumstances (e.g., organizational 
relationships among closely located Federal activities). OPM proposes 
to redefine Old Saybrook town in Middlesex County, currently part of 
the New London survey area, to the New Haven-Hartford area of 
application so the entire Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA 
is in one wage area. No FWS employees currently work in Middlesex 
County. OPM proposes to redefine Hopkinton and Westerly towns in 
Washington County, currently part of the New London survey area, to the 
Narragansett Bay, RI, area of application so the entire Providence-New 
Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA MSA is in one wage area. No FWS employees 
currently work in Hopkinton and Westerly towns.
    These changes would be effective for the full-scale wage survey in 
the New London wage area scheduled to begin in September 2010.
    The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the 
national labor-management committee that advises OPM on FWS pay 
matters, reviewed and recommended these changes by consensus. Based on 
its review of the regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas, 
FPRAC recommended no other changes in the geographic definitions of the 
New Haven-Hartford and New London 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.


    U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Kathie Ann Whipple,
Acting Director.

    Accordingly, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is proposing 
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 Connecticut is amended by revising the listings for New Haven-
Hartford and New London; for the State of Massachusetts, by revising 
the listing for Central and Western Massachusetts; and for the State of 
Rhode Island, by revising the listing for Narragansett Bay, to read as 
follows:

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

* * * * *

 
 
 
                               CONNECTICUT
 
                           New Haven-Hartford
 
                               Survey Area
 
Connecticut:
  Hartford
  New Haven
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Connecticut:
  Fairfield
  Litchfield
  Middlesex
  Tolland
 
                               New London
 
                               Survey Area
 
Connecticut:
  New London
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Connecticut:
  Windham
 
                                * * * * *
                              MASSACHUSETTS
 
                                * * * * *
                    Central and Western Massachusetts
 
                               Survey Area
 
Massachusetts:
The following cities and towns in:
 
Hampden County
 
  Agawam
  Chicopee
  East Longmeadow
  Feeding Hills
  Hampden
  Holyoke
  Longmeadow
  Ludlow
  Monson
  Palmer
  Southwick
  Springfield
  Three Rivers
  Westfield
  West Springfield
  Wilbraham
 
Hampshire County
 
  Easthampton
  Granby
  Hadley
  Northampton
  South Hadley
Worcester County
 
  Warren
  West Warren
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Massachusetts:
  Berkshire
  Franklin
  Worcester (except Blackstone and Millville)
The following cities and towns in:
 
Hampshire County
 
  Amherst
  Belchertown
  Chesterfield
  Cummington
  Goshen
  Hatfield
  Huntington
  Middlefield
  Pelham
  Plainfield
  Southampton
  Ware
  Westhampton
  Williamsburg
  Worthington
 
Hampden County
 
  Blandford
  Brimfield
  Chester
  Granville
  Holland
  Montgomery
  Russell
  Tolland
  Wales
 
Middlesex County
 
  Ashby
  Shirley
  Townsend
New Hampshire:
  Belknap
  Carroll
  Cheshire
  Grafton
  Hillsborough
  Merrimack
  Sullivan
Vermont:
  Addison
  Bennington
  Caledonia
  Essex
  Lamoille
  Orange
  Orleans
  Rutland
  Washington
  Windham
  Windsor
 

[[Page 12282]]

 
                                * * * * *
                              RHODE ISLAND
 
                            Narragansett Bay
 
                               Survey Area
 
Rhode Island:
  Bristol
  Newport
The following cities and towns:
 
Kent County
 
  Anthony
  Coventry
  East Greenwich
  Greene
  Warwick
  West Warwick
 
Providence County
 
  Ashton
  Burrillville
  Central Falls
  Cranston
  Cumberland
  Cumberland Hill
  East Providence
  Esmond
  Forestdale
  Greenville
  Harrisville
  Johnston
  Lincoln
  Manville
  Mapleville
  North Providence
  North Smithfield
  Oakland
  Pascoag
  Pawtucket
  Providence
  Saylesville
  Slatersville
  Smithfield
  Valley Falls
  Wallum Lake
  Woonsocket
 
Washington County
 
  Davisville
  Galilee
  Lafayette
  Narragansett
  North Kingstown
  Point Judith
  Quonset Point
  Saunderstown
  Slocum
Massachusetts:
The following cities and towns:
 
Bristol County
 
  Attleboro
  Fall River
  North Attleboro
  Rehoboth
  Seekonk
  Somerset
  Swansea
  Westport
 
Norfolk County
 
  Caryville
  Plainville
  South Bellingham
 
Worcester County
 
  Blackstone
  Millville
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Rhode Island:
The following cities and towns in:
 
Kent County
 
  West Greenwich
 
Providence County
 
  Foster
  Glocester
  Scituate
 
Washington County
 
  Charlestown
  Exeter
  Hopkinton
  New Shoreham
  Richmond
  South Kingstown
  Westerly
Massachusetts:
The following cities and towns in:
 
Bristol County
 
  Acushnet
  Berkley
  Dartmouth
  Dighton
  Fairhaven
  Freetown
  Mansfield
  New Bedford
  Norton
  Raynham
  Taunton
 
                                * * * * *
 

 [FR Doc. E9-6364 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P