[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64684-64687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25903]


 ========================================================================
 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. 79, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 2014 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 64684]]



OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AN10


Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of Certain 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 redefine the geographic boundaries of several 
appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas for pay-setting 
purposes. Based on recent reviews of Metropolitan Statistical Area 
(MSA) boundaries in a number of wage areas, OPM proposes redefinitions 
affecting the following wage areas: Washington, DC; Hagerstown-
Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN; Charlotte, NC; 
Columbia, SC, and Southwestern Wisconsin. In addition, this proposed 
rule would make three minor corrections to the Miami, FL; Columbus, GA, 
and Kansas City, MO, wage areas.

DATES: We must receive comments on or before December 1, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by ``RIN 3206-AN10,'' 
using any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Brenda L. Roberts, Acting Deputy Associate Director for Pay 
and Leave, Employee Services, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Room 
7H31, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200.
    Email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madeline Gonzalez, by telephone at 
(202) 606-2838 or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM is issuing a proposed rule to redefine 
the geographic boundaries of several appropriated fund FWS wage areas. 
These changes are based on recommendations of the Federal Prevailing 
Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the statutory national labor-
management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters affecting 
the pay of FWS employees. From time to time, FPRAC reviews the 
boundaries of wage areas and provides OPM with recommendations for 
changes if the Committee finds that changes are warranted.
    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.
    In addition, 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.
    The Office of Management and Budget defines MSAs and maintains and 
updates the definitions of MSA boundaries following each decennial 
census. MSAs are composed of counties and are defined on the basis of a 
central urbanized area--a contiguous area of relatively high population 
density. Additional surrounding counties are included in MSAs if they 
have strong social and economic ties to central counties.
    When the boundaries of wage areas were first established in the 
1960s, there were fewer MSAs than there are today and the boundaries of 
the then existing MSAs were much smaller. Most MSAs were contained 
within the boundaries of a wage area. MSAs have expanded each decade 
and in some cases now extend beyond the boundaries of the wage area.
    FPRAC recently reviewed several wage areas where boundaries 
subdivide certain MSAs and concurred by consensus with the changes 
described in this proposed rule. These changes would be effective on 
the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after 
30 days following publication of the final regulations.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-MD-VA-WV MSA

    Washington, DC; Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince 
George's Counties, MD; Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, 
Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park Cities, VA; Arlington, 
Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, 
Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties, VA; and 
Jefferson County, WV, comprise the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-
MD-VA-WV MSA. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-MD-VA-WV MSA is 
split between the Washington, DC, wage area and the Hagerstown-
Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD, wage area. Washington, DC; Charles, 
Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's Counties, MD; Alexandria, 
Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park Cities, VA; and 
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties, VA, are part 
of the Washington, DC, survey area. Calvert and St. Mary's Counties, 
MD; Fredericksburg City, VA; Clarke, Fauquier, King George, 
Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties, VA; and Jefferson County, 
WV, are part of the Washington, DC, area of application. Culpeper and 
Rappahannock Counties, VA, are part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-
Chambersburg area of application.
    OPM proposes to redefine Culpeper and Rappahannock Counties to the 
Washington, DC, area of application so that the entire Washington-
Arlington-Alexandria, DC-MD-VA-WV MSA is in one wage area. There are 
seven FWS employees working in Culpeper County and one FWS employee 
working in Rappahannock County.

Rochester, MN MSA

    Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted, and Wabasha Counties, MN, comprise the 
Rochester, MN MSA. The Rochester, MN MSA is split between the 
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, wage area and the Southwestern Wisconsin wage 
area. Dodge, Olmsted, and Wabasha Counties are part of the Minneapolis-
St. Paul area of application and Fillmore County is part of the 
Southwestern Wisconsin area of application.
    OPM proposes to redefine Fillmore County to the Minneapolis-St. 
Paul area of application so that the entire Rochester, MN MSA is in one 
wage area.

[[Page 64685]]

There are currently no FWS employees working in Fillmore County.

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC MSA

    Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, and Union 
Counties, NC, and Chester, Lancaster, and York Counties, SC; comprise 
the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA. The Charlotte-Concord-
Gastonia MSA is split between the Charlotte, NC, wage area and the 
Columbia, SC, wage area. Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Rowan, and 
Union Counties, NC, are part of the Charlotte survey area; Iredell and 
Lincoln Counties, NC, and Lancaster and York Counties, SC, are part of 
the Charlotte area of application; and Chester County, SC, is part of 
the Columbia area of application.
    OPM proposes to redefine Chester County to the Charlotte area of 
application so that the entire Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA is 
in one wage area. There are currently no FWS employees working in 
Chester County.

Miscellaneous Corrections

    In addition, this proposed rule would make the following minor 
corrections:
     Update the name of the Columbus Consolidated Government in 
the Columbus, GA, FWS wage area because Columbus is the official name 
of the entity resulting from the consolidation of the City of Columbus 
and Muscogee County in 1971.
     Update the name of Dade County in the Miami, FL, FWS wage 
area because the name of Dade County was officially changed to Miami-
Dade County in 1997.
     Delete the name of the St. Louis, MO, wage area from the 
list of area of application counties in the Kansas City, MO, wage area 
because, due to a formatting error, the name of the St. Louis wage area 
was incorrectly printed as if it was an area of application county in 
the Kansas City wage area.

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.
Katherine Archuleta,
Director.
    Accordingly, OPM is proposing to amend 5 CFR part 532 as follows:

PART 532--PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS

0
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.

0
2. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area 
listings in paragraph (3), under the undesignated center heading 
Definitions of Wage and Wage Survey Areas, for the Washington, DC; 
Miami, FL; Columbus, GA; Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; 
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN; Kansas City, MO; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC, 
and Southwestern Wisconsin wage areas to read as follows:

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

 
                                * * * * *
                          DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
                             Washington, DC
 
                               Survey Area
District of Columbia:
  Washington, DC
Maryland:
  Charles
  Frederick
  Montgomery
  Prince George's
Virginia (cities):
  Alexandria
  Fairfax
  Falls Church
  Manassas
  Manassas Park
Virginia (counties):
  Arlington
  Fairfax
  Loudoun
  Prince William
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Maryland:
  Calvert
  St. Mary's
Virginia (city):
  Fredericksburg
Virginia (counties):
  Clarke
  Culpeper
  Fauquier
  King George
  Rappahannock
  Spotsylvania
  Stafford
  Warren
West Virginia
  Jefferson
 
                                * * * * *
                                 FLORIDA
 
                                * * * * *
                                  Miami
 
                               Survey Area
Florida:
  Miami-Dade
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Florida:
  Broward
  Collier
  Glades
  Hendry
  Highlands
  Mart[iacute]n
  Monroe
  Okeechobee
  Palm Beach
  St. Lucie
 
                                * * * * *
                                 GEORGIA
 
                                * * * * *
                                Columbus
 
                               Survey Area
Alabama:
  Autauga
  Elmore
  Lee
  Macon
  Montgomery
  Russell
Georgia:
  Chattahoochee
  Columbus
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Alabama:
  Bullock
  Butler
  Chambers
  Coosa
  Crenshaw
  Dallas
  Lowndes
  Pike
  Tallapoosa
  Wilcox
Georgia:
  Harris
  Marion
  Quitman
  Schley
  Stewart
  Talbot
  Taylor
  Troup
  Webster
 
                                * * * * *
                                MARYLAND
 
                                * * * * *
                   Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg
 
                               Survey Area
Maryland:
  Washington
Pennsylvania:
  Franklin
West Virginia:
  Berkeley
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Maryland:
  Allegany
  Garrett
Pennsylvania:
  Fulton
Virginia (cities):
  Harrisonburg
  Winchester
Virginia (counties):
  Frederick
  Greene
  Madison

[[Page 64686]]

 
  Page
  Rockingham
  Shenandoah
West Virginia:
  Hampshire
  Hardy
  Mineral
  Morgan
 
                                * * * * *
                                MINNESOTA
 
                                * * * * *
                          Minneapolis-St. Paul
 
                               Survey Area
Minnesota:
  Anoka
  Carver
  Chisago
  Dakota
  Hennepin
  Ramsey
  Scott
  Washington
  Wright
Wisconsin:
  St. Croix
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Minnesota:
  Benton
  Big Stone
  Blue Earth
  Brown
  Chippewa
  Cottonwood
  Dodge
  Douglas
  Faribault
  Fillmore
  Freeborn
  Goodhue
  Grant
  Isanti
  Kanabec
  Kandiyohi
  Lac Qui Parle
  Le Sueur
  McLeod
  Martin
  Meeker
  Mille Lacs
  Morrison
  Mower
  Nicollet
  Olmsted
  Pope
  Redwood
  Renville
  Rice
  Sherburne
  Sibley
  Stearns
  Steele
  Stevens
  Swift
  Todd
  Traverse
  Wabasha
  Wadena
  Waseca
  Watonwan
  Yellow Medicine
Wisconsin:
  Pierce
  Polk
 
                                * * * * *
                                Missouri
                               Kansas City
 
                               Survey Area
Kansas:
  Johnson
  Leavenworth
  Wyandotte
Missouri:
  Cass
  Clay
  Jackson
  Platte
  Ray
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
Kansas:
  Allen
  Anderson
  Atchison
  Bourbon
  Doniphan
  Douglas
  Franklin
  Linn
  Miami
Missouri:
  Adair
  Andrew
  Atchison
  Bates
  Buchanan
  Caldwell
  Carroll
  Chariton
  Clinton
  Cooper
  Daviess
  De Kalb
  Gentry
  Grundy
  Harrison
  Henry
  Holt
  Howard
  Johnson
  Lafayette
  Linn
  Livingston
  Macon
  Mercer
  Nodaway
  Pettis
  Putnam
  Saline
  Schuyler
  Sullivan
  Worth
 
                                * * * * *
                             NORTH CAROLINA
 
                                * * * * *
                                Charlotte
 
                               Survey Area
North Carolina:
  Cabarrus
  Gaston
  Mecklenburg
  Rowan
  Union
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
North Carolina:
  Alexander
  Anson
  Catawba
  Cleveland
  Iredell
  Lincoln
  Stanly
  Wilkes
South Carolina:
  Chester
  Chesterfield
  Lancaster
  York
 
                                * * * * *
                             SOUTH CAROLINA
 
                                * * * * *
                                Columbia
 
                               Survey Area
South Carolina:
  Darlington
  Florence
  Kershaw
  Lee
  Lexington
  Richland
  Sumter
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
South Carolina:
  Abbeville
  Anderson
  Calhoun
  Cherokee
  Clarendon
  Fairfield
  Greenville
  Greenwood
  Laurens
  Newberry
  Oconee
  Orangeburg
  Pickens
  Saluda
  Spartanburg
  Union
 
                                * * * * *
                                WISCONSIN
 
                                * * * * *
                         Southwestern Wisconsin
 
                               Survey Area
Wisconsin:
  Chippewa
  Eau Claire
  La Crosse
  Monroe
  Trempealeau
 
                 Area of Application. Survey area plus:
 
Minnesota:
  Houston
  Winona
Wisconsin:
  Barron
  Buffalo
  Clark
  Crawford
  Dunn
  Florence
  Forest
  Jackson
  Juneau
  Langlade
  Lincoln
  Marathon
  Marinette
  Menominee

[[Page 64687]]

 
  Oneida
  Pepin
  Portage
  Price
  Richland
  Rusk
  Shawano
  Taylor
  Vernon
  Vilas
  Waupaca
  Wood
 
                                * * * * *
 

[FR Doc. 2014-25903 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P