[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 45 (Thursday, March 9, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13144-13145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04669]


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 OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


January 2017 Pay Schedules

AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The President has signed an Executive order to implement the 
January 2017 pay adjustments for certain Federal civilian employees. 
The Executive order authorizes a 1 percent across-the-board increase 
for statutory pay systems and locality pay increases costing 
approximately 1.1 percent of basic payroll, reflecting an overall 
average pay increase of 2.1 percent. This notice serves as 
documentation for the public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Dismond, Pay and Leave, Employee 
Services, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, (202) 606-2858 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 27, 2016, the President signed 
Executive Order (E.O.) 13756 (81 FR 97099), which implemented the 
January 2017 pay adjustments. The Executive order provides an overall 
average pay increase of 2.1 percent for the statutory pay systems. This 
is consistent with the President's alternative pay plan issued under 5 
U.S.C. 5303(b) on August 31, 2016, and the President's alternative pay 
plan issued under 5 U.S.C. 5304a on December 8, 2016.
    The publication of this notice satisfies the requirement in Section 
5(b) of E.O. 13756 that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
publish appropriate notice of the 2017 locality payments in the Federal 
Register.
    Schedule 1 of E.O. 13756 provides the rates for the 2017 General 
Schedule (GS) and reflects a 1 percent increase from 2016. Executive 
Order 13756 also includes the percentage amounts of the 2017 locality 
payments. (See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of Executive Order 13756.)
    All GS employees receive locality payments under 5 U.S.C. 5304. 
Locality payments apply in the United States (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 
5921(4)) and its territories and possessions. In 2017, locality 
payments ranging from 15.06 percent to 38.17 percent apply to GS 
employees in the 47 locality pay areas. The 2017 locality pay area 
definitions

[[Page 13145]]

can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2017/locality-pay-area-definitions/.
    The 2017 locality pay percentages became effective on the first day 
of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2017 (January 
8, 2017). An employee's locality rate of pay is computed by increasing 
his or her scheduled annual rate of pay (as defined in 5 CFR 531.602) 
by the applicable locality pay percentage. (See 5 CFR 531.604 and 
531.609.)
    Executive Order 13756 establishes the new Executive Schedule which 
incorporates a 1 percent increase required under 5 U.S.C. 5318 (rounded 
to the nearest $100). By law, Executive Schedule officials are not 
authorized to receive locality payments.
    Executive Order 13756 establishes the 2017 range of rates of basic 
pay for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) under 5 U.S.C. 
5382. The minimum rate of basic pay for the SES is $124,406 in 2017. 
The maximum rate of the SES rate range is $187,000 (level II of the 
Executive Schedule) for SES members who are covered by a certified SES 
performance appraisal system and $172,100 (level III of the Executive 
Schedule) for SES members who are not covered by a certified SES 
performance appraisal system.
    The minimum rate of basic pay for the senior-level (SL) and 
scientific and professional (ST) rate range was increased by 1 percent 
($124,406 in 2017), which is the amount of the across-the-board GS 
increase. The applicable maximum rate of the SL/ST rate range is 
$187,000 (level II of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees 
who are covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system and 
$172,100 (level III of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees 
who are not covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system. 
Agencies with certified performance appraisal systems for SES members 
and employees in SL and ST positions must also apply a higher aggregate 
limitation on pay--up to the Vice President's salary ($240,100 in 
2017.)
    Note that Section 101 of the Further Continuing and Security 
Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 114-254, December 10, 
2016) provides continuing appropriations to Federal agencies through 
April 28, 2017, or the date of enactment of specified appropriations 
legislation. Under this continuing resolution, the authority and 
conditions provided in FY 2016 appropriations laws continue to apply. 
This language means that the freeze on the payable pay rates for 
certain senior political appointees at 2013 levels--as provided in 
section 738 of division E of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, 
Public Law 114-113, December 18, 2015--continues into calendar year 
2017. On January 10, 2017, OPM issued a memorandum (CPM 2017-02) on the 
pay freeze for certain senior political officials. (See https://www.chcoc.gov/content/pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials.)
    Executive Order 13756 provides that the rates of basic pay for 
administrative law judges (ALJs) under 5 U.S.C. 5372 are increased by 1 
percent, rounded to the nearest $100 in 2017. The rate of basic pay for 
AL-1 is $161,900 (equivalent to the rate for level IV of the Executive 
Schedule). The rate of basic pay for AL-2 is $157,900. The rates of 
basic pay for AL-3/A through 3/F range from $108,100 to $149,600.
    The rates of basic pay for members of Contract Appeals Boards are 
calculated as a percentage of the rate for level IV of the Executive 
Schedule. (See 5 U.S.C. 5372a.) Therefore, these rates of basic pay are 
increased by 1 percent in 2017.
    On November 17, 2016, OPM issued a memorandum on behalf of the 
President's Pay Agent (the Secretary of Labor and the Directors of the 
Office of Management and Budget and OPM) that continues GS locality 
payments for ALJs and certain other non-GS employee categories in 2017. 
By law, EX officials, SES members, employees in SL/ST positions, and 
employees in certain other equivalent pay systems are not authorized to 
receive locality payments. (Note: An exception applies to certain 
grandfathered SES, SL, and ST employees stationed in a nonforeign area 
on January 2, 2010. See CPM 2009-27 at https://www.chcoc.gov/content/nonforeign-area-retirement-equity-assurance-act.) The memo is available 
at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/continuation-of-locality-payments-for-non-general-schedule-employees-november-17-2016.pdf.
    On December 27, 2016, OPM issued a memorandum (CPM 2016-20) on the 
January 2017 pay adjustments. (See https://www.chcoc.gov/content/january-2017-pay-adjustments.) The memorandum transmitted Executive 
Order 13756 and provided the 2017 salary tables, locality pay areas and 
percentages, and information on general pay administration matters and 
other related information. The ``2017 Salary Tables'' posted on OPM's 
Web site at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/ are the official rates of pay for affected employees 
and are hereby incorporated as part of this notice.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Kathleen M. McGettigan,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 2017-04669 Filed 3-8-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6329-39-P