[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 64687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25902]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 9501

RIN 3206-AL02


Office of Personnel Management Criteria for Internal Revenue 
Service Broadbanding Systems

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hereby withdraws a 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the criteria governing 
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) broadbanding systems, published in 
the Federal Register April 17, 2007. OPM has determined withdrawal of 
the NPRM is appropriate as it would be impractical to issue this rule 
at this time.

DATES: Effective Date: The proposed rule, published on April 17, 2007, 
in the Federal Register (72 FR 19126), is withdrawn as of October 31, 
2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Melvin, Senior Human 
Resources Specialist, Office of Personnel Management, Employee 
Services, Pay and Leave, Room 7H31, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 
20415. Email: [email protected]; Telephone: (202) 606-2858; or 
Facsimile: (202) 606-0824.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under 5 U.S.C. 9509, the Secretary of the Treasury may, under 
criteria prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), 
establish one or more broadbanding systems covering all or any portion 
of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) workforce that would otherwise be 
covered by the General Schedule (GS) pay and classification system. OPM 
published its criteria for IRS broadbanding systems as a final notice 
in the Federal Register on December 19, 2000 (65 FR 79433) and the 
criteria in that notice are still in effect.
    On April 17, 2007, OPM issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(NPRM) in the Federal Register (72 FR 19126) to amend title 5, Code of 
Federal Regulations, to establish a new chapter XCV and part 9501 
providing revised criteria for IRS broadbanding systems. The proposed 
regulations would have provided the Department of the Treasury with the 
flexibility, in coordination with OPM, to establish broader bands for 
covered IRS employees and would have established a more direct 
relationship between pay and performance. The proposed regulations 
would have also revised the criteria consistent with changes in the GS 
pay administration rules made by the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act 
of 2004 and OPM implementing regulations.
    The comment period for the NPRM closed on June 18, 2007. OPM 
received and considered all five written comments in response to the 
NPRM. Comments were received from one Federal agency, one labor 
organization, two professional associations, and one individual. The 
following is a general overview of the comments OPM received during the 
public comment period raised in connection with the merits of the 
proposed rule.
    The comments received were varied. The main items of concern 
included the role of labor organizations in applying the IRS 
broadbanding system authority and OPM criteria, the maximum number of 
grades that may be combined into a band, the requirements and 
flexibilities for providing various within-band pay adjustments, 
performance ratings and the IRS performance management system, 
limitations on the maximum rates of pay for bands, and the flexibility 
to establish control points that limit salary progression within bands. 
Several commenters also asked for clarification regarding the language 
used in various parts of the proposed rule.

Office of Personnel Management.
Katherine Archuleta,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2014-25902 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
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