Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Northern Mississippi and Memphis, TN, Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Areas

76 FR 31885Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Northern Mississippi and Memphis, TN, Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Areas

76 FR 31885U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

76 FR 31885Proposed rule with request for comments.

76 FR 31885The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule that would redefine the geographic boundaries of the Northern Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. The proposed rule would redefine Panola County, MS, from the Northern Mississippi wage area to the Memphis wage area. This change is based on a consensus recommendation of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) to best match the county proposed for redefinition to a nearby FWS survey area. FPRAC did not recommend other changes for the Northern Mississippi and Memphis FWS wage areas at this time.

76 FR 31885We must receive comments on or before July 5, 2011.

76 FR 31885Send or deliver comments to Jerome D. Mikowicz, 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; e-mail pay-leave-policy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

76 FR 31885Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606-2838; e-mail pay-leave-policy@opm.gov ; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

76 FR 31885The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule to redefine the Northern Mississippi and Memphis, TN, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. This proposed rule would redefine Panola County, MS, from the Northern Mississippi wage area to the Memphis wage area. 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. Panola County is currently defined to the Northern Mississippi area of application in appendix C to subpart B of part 532. Based on our analysis of the regulatory criteria for defining appropriated fund FWS wage areas, we find that Panola County would now be more appropriately defined as part of the Memphis area of application. Distance and commuting patterns criteria for Panola County clearly favor the Memphis wage area. Transportation facilities and geographic features criteria favor the Memphis wage area because Interstate Highway 55 provides direct access from Panola County to the Memphis survey area while access to the major cities in the Northern Mississippi survey area (Columbus, Greenwood, and Tupelo) is mainly by secondary and multilane divided highways. Similarities in overall population, total private sector employment, and kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments favor the Northern Mississippi wage area. Based on this analysis, we recommend that Panola County be redefined to the Memphis wage area.

76 FR 31886The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the national labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, recommended this change by consensus. This change would be effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period for FWS employees in Panola County beginning on or after 30 days following publication of final regulations. FPRAC did not recommend other changes in the geographic definitions of the Northern Mississippi and Memphis wage areas at this time.

76 FR 31886I 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.

76 FR 31886Administrative practice and procedure, Freedom of information, Government employees, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Wages. U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Accordingly, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is proposing to amend 5 CFR part 532 as follows:

76 FR 318861. The authority citation for part 532 continues to read as follows:

76 FR 318865 U.S.C. 5343, 5346; § 532.707 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552.

76 FR 318862. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area listings for the Northern Mississippi and Memphis, TN, wage areas to read as follows: MISSISSIPPI Northern Mississippi Survey Area Mississippi: Clay Grenada Lee Leflore Lowndes Monroe Oktibbeha Area of Application. Survey area plus: Mississippi: Alcorn Bolivar Calhoun Carroll Chickasaw Choctaw Coahoma Itawamba Lafayette (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Montgomery Noxubee Pontotoc (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Prentiss Quitman Sunflower Tallahatchie Tishomingo Union (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Washington Webster Winston Yalobusha TENNESSEE Memphis Survey Area Arkansas: Crittenden Mississippi Mississippi: De Soto Tennessee: Shelby Tipton Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arkansas: Craighead Cross Lee Poinsett St. Francis Mississippi: Benton Lafayette (Holly Springs National Forest portion only) Marshall Panola Pontotoc (Holly Springs National Forest portion only) Tate Tippah Tunica Union (Holly Springs National Forest portion only) Missouri: Dunklin Pemiscot Tennessee: Carroll Chester Crockett Dyer Fayette Gibson Hardeman Hardin Haywood Lake Lauderdale Madison McNairy Obion