Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of Certain Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Areas

81 FR 86561Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of Certain Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Areas

81 FR 86561U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

81 FR 86561The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to redefine the geographic boundaries of several appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas for pay-setting purposes. Based on reviews of Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) boundaries in a number of wage areas, OPM is redefining the following wage areas: Salinas-Monterey, CA; San Francisco, CA; New London, CT; Central and Western Massachusetts; Cincinnati, OH: Dayton, OH, Southeastern Washington-Eastern Oregon; and Spokane, WA.

81 FR 86561Effective date: This regulation is effective on December 1, 2016. Applicability date: This change applies on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 3, 2017.

81 FR 86561Madeline Gonzalez, by telephone at (202) 606-2858 or by email at pay-leave-policy@opm.gov.

81 FR 86561On June 24, 2016, OPM issued a proposed rule (81 FR 41255) to redefine the following counties: • San Benito County, CA, from the Salinas-Monterey, CA, area of application to the San Francisco, CA, area of application; • Windham County, CT, from the New London, CT, area of application to the Central and Western Massachusetts area of application; • Union County, IN; from the Dayton, OH, area of application to the Cincinnati, OH, area of application; • Columbia County, WA, from the Spokane area of application to the Southeastern Washington-Eastern Oregon area of application. The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the national labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, reviewed and recommended these changes by consensus. The 30-day comment period ended on July 25, 2016. OPM received one comment in support of the proposal and one comment requesting OPM consider moving another county in the State of California, Mendocino County, CA, from the Rest of U.S. (RUS) General Schedule (GS) locality pay area to the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA GS locality pay area. GS and FWS pay areas are administered under different regulations. The comment is therefore beyond the scope of the proposed rule.

81 FR 86562I 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 86562Administrative 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 865621. The authority citation for part 532 continues to read as follows:

81 FR 865625 U.S.C. 5343, 5346; § 532.707 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552.

81 FR 865622. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area listings for the Salinas-Monterey, CA; San Francisco, CA; New London, CT; Central and Western Massachusetts; Cincinnati, OH: Dayton, OH, Southeastern Washington-Eastern Oregon; and Spokane, WA, wage areas to read as follows:

81 FR 86562* * * * * CALIFORNIA * * * * * Salinas-Monterey Survey Area California: Monterey Area of Application. Survey area. * * * * * San Francisco California: Alameda Contra Costa Marin Napa San Francisco San Mateo Santa Clara Solano Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Mendocino San Benito Santa Cruz Sonoma * * * * * CONNECTICUT * * * * * New London Survey Area Connecticut: New London Area of Application. Survey area. * * * * * MASSACHUSETTS * * * * * Central and Western Massachusetts Survey Area Massachusetts: The following cities and towns in: Hampden County Agawam Chicopee East Longmeadow Feeding Hills Hampden Holyoke Longmeadow Ludlow Monson Palmer Southwick Springfield Three Rivers Westfield West Springfield Wilbraham Hampshire County Easthampton Granby Hadley Northampton South Hadley Worcester County Warren West Warren Area of Application. Survey area plus: Connecticut: Windham Massachusetts: Berkshire Franklin Worcester (except Blackstone and Millville) The following cities and towns in: Hampden County Blandford Brimfield Chester Granville Holland Montgomery Russell Tolland Wales Hampshire County Amherst Belchertown Chesterfield Cummington Goshen Hatfield Huntington Middlefield Pelham Plainfield Southampton Ware Westhampton Williamsburg Worthington Middlesex County Ashby Shirley Townsend New Hampshire: Belknap Carroll Cheshire Grafton Hillsborough Merrimack Sullivan Vermont: Addison Bennington Caledonia Essex Lamoille Orange Orleans Rutland Washington Windham Windsor * * * * * OHIO Cincinnati Survey Area Indiana: Dearborn Kentucky: Boone Campbell Kenton Ohio: Clermont Hamilton Warren Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Franklin Ohio Ripley Switzerland Union Kentucky: Bracken Carroll Gallatin Grant Mason Pendleton Ohio: Adams Brown Butler Highland * * * * * Dayton Ohio: Champaign Clark Greene Miami Montgomery Preble Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Randolph Wayne Ohio: Auglaize Clinton Darke Logan Shelby * * * * * WASHINGTON * * * * * Southeastern Washington-Eastern Oregon Survey Area Oregon: Umatilla Washington: Benton Franklin Walla Walla Yakima Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oregon: Baker Grant Harney Malheur Morrow Union Wallowa Wheeler Washington: Columbia Kittitas (Only includes the Yakima Firing Range portion) Spokane Survey Area Washington: Spokane Area of Application. Survey area plus: Idaho: Benewah Bonner Boundary Clearwater Idaho Kootenai Latah Lewis Nez Perce Shoshone Washington: Adams Asotin Chelan (Does not include the North Cascades National Park portion) Douglas Ferry Garfield Grant Kittitas (Does not include the Yakima Firing Range portion) Lincoln Okanogan Pend Oreille Stevens Whitman