[Federal Register: May 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 95)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 28488-28489]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18my05-26]
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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.
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[[Page 28488]]
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 532
RIN 3206-AK83
Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Central North
Carolina Appropriated Fund Wage Area
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule
that would redefine the geographic boundaries of the Central North
Carolina Federal Wage System (FWS) appropriated fund wage area. The
proposed rule would remove Edgecombe and Wilson Counties, NC, from the
survey area and add Hoke County, NC, to the survey area. The
redefinition of Edgecombe, Hoke, and Wilson Counties would align the
geographic definition of the Central North Carolina wage area more
closely with the regulatory criteria used to define FWS wage areas.
DATES: We must receive comments on or before June 17, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Deputy
Associate Director for Pay and Performance Policy, Strategic Human
Resources Policy Division, Office of Personnel Management, Room 7H31,
1900 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200; email
pay-performance-policy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606-2838;
email
pay-performance-policy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 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.
OPM reviewed each county in the Central North Carolina wage area
and found that the area of application for the wage area is
appropriately defined. As part of the review of wage area boundaries,
OPM also considers whether the survey areas within each wage area
should be changed. Based on an analysis of the regulatory criteria for
defining FWS wage areas, OPM proposes to remove Edgecombe and Wilson
Counties, NC, from the survey area because there are no FWS employees
working in Edgecombe or Wilson Counties. Defining Edgecombe and Wilson
Counties as part of the Central North Carolina area of application
would allow FWS pay rates to reflect more closely the prevailing rates
where FWS employees actually work. The amount of wage survey data
obtained from Edgecombe and Wilson Counties has been relatively low in
past surveys, with only about 15 percent of the Central North Carolina
survey data during the last full-scale wage survey coming from private
industrial establishments located in these two counties. Edgecombe and
Wilson Counties would remain in the Central North Carolina area of
application.
In addition, OPM proposes to add Hoke County to the Central North
Carolina survey area. Hoke County is currently defined as part of the
Central North Carolina area of application. While there are no FWS
employees working in Hoke County, Fort Bragg, the Central North
Carolina's host activity, extends into Hoke County. Also, Hoke County
is one of the two counties of the Fayetteville, NC Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA). The other county of the Fayetteville, NC MSA,
Cumberland County, is already defined as part of the Central North
Carolina survey area.
These changes would be effective for the next full-scale wage
survey in the Central North Carolina wage area, which is scheduled to
begin in May 2006.
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 definition of the
Central North Carolina 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.
Office of Personnel Management.
Dan G. Blair,
Acting 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 North Carolina is amended by revising the listing for Central North
Carolina to read as follows:
Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey
Areas
North Carolina
* * * * *
Central North Carolina
Survey Area
North Carolina:
Cumberland
Durham
Harnett
Hoke
Johnston
Orange
Wake
Wayne
Area of Application. Survey Area Plus:
North Carolina:
Alamance
Bladen
Caswell
[[Page 28489]]
Chatham
Davidson
Davie
Edgecombe
Franklin
Forsyth
Granville
Guilford
Halifax
Lee
Montgomery
Moore
Nash
Northampton
Person
Randolph
Richmond
Robeson
Rockingham
Sampson
Scotland
Stokes
Surry
Vance
Warren
Wilson
Yadkin
South Carolina:
Dillon
Marion
Marlboro
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 05-9894 Filed 5-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P