Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of the Newburgh, NY, Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Area

81 FR 24455Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of the Newburgh, NY, Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Area

81 FR 24455U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

81 FR 24455The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to abolish the Newburgh, New York, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area and redefine Orange County, NY, to the New York, NY, survey area; Dutchess County, NY, to the New York area of application; Delaware and Ulster Counties, NY, to the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, area of application; and Sullivan County, NY, to the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, area of application. These changes are based on a consensus recommendation of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) to best match the counties proposed for redefinition to nearby FWS survey areas.

81 FR 24455Effective date: This rule is effective on April 26, 2016. Applicability date: This change applies on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after May 26, 2016.

81 FR 24455Madeline Gonzalez, by telephone at (202) 606-2838 or by email at pay-leave-policy@opm.gov.

81 FR 24455On November 30, 2015, OPM issued a proposed rule (80 FR 74715) to abolish the Newburgh, NY, appropriated fund FWS wage area and redefine Orange County, NY, to the New York, NY, survey area; Dutchess County, NY, to the New York area of application; Delaware and Ulster Counties, NY, to the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, area of application; and Sullivan County, NY, to the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA, area of application. FPRAC, the national labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, reviewed and recommended this change by consensus. The 30-day comment period ended on December 30, 2015. OPM received one comment in support of the proposal and one comment regarding the effective date of the proposed change recommending retroactive applicability. OPM defines wage areas through regulation in 5 CFR part 532. Changes in OPM's regulations are prospective, not retroactive, following an appropriate period for public comment. These changes will apply on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after 30 days following publication of the final regulations.

81 FR 24455I certify that these regulations will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they will affect only Federal agencies and employees.

81 FR 24455Administrative practice and procedure, Freedom of information, Government employees, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Wages. U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Accordingly, OPM is amending 5 CFR part 532 as follows:

81 FR 244551. The authority citation for part 532 continues to read as follows:

81 FR 244555 U.S.C. 5343, 5346; § 532.707 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552.

81 FR 24455Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 532— [Amended] 2. Appendix A to subpart B of part 532 is amended for the State of New York by removing the entry for Newburgh.

81 FR 244553. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area listing for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY; New York, NY; and Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA, wage areas and removing the wage area listing for Newburgh, NY, The revisions read as follows:

81 FR 24455NEW YORK Albany-Schenectady-Troy Survey Area New York: Albany Montgomery Rensselaer Saratoga Schenectady Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Columbia Delaware Fulton Greene Schoharie Ulster Warren Washington New York Survey Area New Jersey: Bergen Essex Hudson Middlesex Morris Passaic Somerset Union New York: Bronx Kings Nassau New York Orange Queens Suffolk Westchester Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Jersey: Hunterdon Monmouth Ocean (Excluding the Fort Dix Military Reservation) Sussex New York: Dutchess Putnam Richmond Rockland Pennsylvania: Pike PENNSYLVANIA Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Survey Area Pennsylvania: Lackawanna Luzerne Monroe Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Sullivan Pennsylvania: Bradford Columbia Lycoming (Excluding Allenwood Federal Prison Camp) Montour Sullivan Susquehanna Wayne Wyoming