U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

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69–011 2016

114th Congress, 2d Session – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 114–189 

ALTERNATIVE PLAN FOR 2017 LOCALITY-BASED 

COMPARABILITY PAYMENTS 

COMMUNICATION 

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRANSMITTING

A REVISED ALTERNATIVE PLAN FOR PAY INCREASES FOR CIVILIAN FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COVERED BY THE GENERAL SCHEDULE AND CERTAIN OTHER PAY SYSTEMS IN JANUARY 2017, 

PURSUANT TO 5 U.S.C. 5304a(a); PUBLIC LAW 101–509, TITLE I, 

SEC. 101(a)(1); (104 STAT. 1436) 

DECEMBER 12, 2016.—Referred to the Committee on Oversight and 

Government Reform and ordered to be printed 


E:\Seals\Congress.#13
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THE WHITE HOUSE, 

Washington, December 8, 2016. 

Hon. PAUL D. RYAN, 

Speaker of the House of Representatives, 

Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I am transmitting a revised alternative plan 

for locality pay increases for civilian Federal employees covered by 

the General Schedule and certain other pay systems in January 

2017. This revised plan supersedes the original plan issued on November 29, 2016. Title 5, United States Code, authorizes me to implement alternative pay plans for pay increases for civilian Federal 

employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay 

systems if, because of ‘‘national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare,’’ I view the adjustments that 

would otherwise take effect as inappropriate. 

Civilian Federal employees made significant sacrifices as a result 

of the 3-year pay freeze that ended in January 2014. Since the pay 

freeze ended, annual adjustments for civilian Federal employees 

have also been lower than private sector pay increases and statutory formulas for adjustments to the General Schedule for 2014 

through 2016. However, keeping our Nation on a sustainable fiscal 

course requires tough choices. 

Under current law, locality pay increases averaging 28.49 percent and costing $26 billion would go into effect in January 2017. 

Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases. In my August 31, 2016, submission of an alternative plan for base pay increases, I stated that the alternative plan for locality payments 

would be limited so that the total combined cost of the 1.0 percent 

across-the-board base pay increase and the varying locality pay increases would be 1.6 percent of basic payroll, consistent with the 

assumption in my 2017 Budget. However, in light of the decision 

of Congress to provide a 2.1 percent pay increase for military personnel in 2017 and reconsideration of current and projected economic conditions, I have concluded it would be appropriate to revise my original alternative plan for locality payments so that the 

total combined cost of the 1.0 percent across-the-board base pay increase and varying locality payments will be 2.1 percent of basic 

payroll. Thus, under the revised alternative plan, the varying locality pay increases will generate costs of 1.1 percent of basic payroll. 

Accordingly, I have determined that under the authority of section 5304a of title 5, United States Code, locality-based comparability payments for the locality pay areas established by the 

President’s Pay Agent, in the amounts set forth in the attached 

table, shall become effective on the first day of the first applicable 

pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2017. These decisions 

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will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a wellqualified Federal workforce. 

Sincerely, 

BARACK OBAMA. 

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Insert offset folio 4 here HD189.001

Alternative Plan for 2017 Locality-Based Comparability Payments 

Localitv Pav Area Locali!I Pa:~:ment 

Alaska 27.f3% 

Albany-Schenectady, NY 15.85% 

Albuguergue-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM 15.36% 

Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA-AL 20.70% 

Austin-Round Rock, TX 15.97% 

Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME :wn%-

Buffalo-Cheektowaaa, NY 18.66% 

Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC 15.65% 

Chicaao-Naoervil!e, !L-IN-WI 26.85% 

Cincinnati-Wilminqror··;;-;;: ill!<::, OH-KY-IN - 19.52% 

Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH ------- 19.71% 

Colorado~ CO 15.99% 

Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH 18.49% 

n, r. I Worth. TX-OK 22.61% 

Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 15.56% 

Oavton-Sorinafield-Sidney,_Q!j__ - 17.59% 

Denver-Aurora, CO 24.65% 

Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, Ml 25.68% 

Harrisbura-Lebanon, PA 15.63% 

Hartford-West Hartford, CT-MA 27.57% 

Hawaii 17.92% ---~~-

Houston-The Woodlands, TX 30.97% 

Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL 17.82% 

lndianaoolis-Carmei-Muncie, IN 15.85% 

Kansas Citv-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS 15.59% 

Laredo, TX 16.68% 

Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ 15.93% 

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 29.65% 

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL 22.13% 

Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 19.61% 

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI 22.72% 

New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA 31.22% .. 

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 15.48% 

Philadelphia-Readina-Carnden, PA-NJ-DE-MD 23.87% --~------· 

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 18.57% 

Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV 17.86% 

Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA 21.95% 

Raleigh-Durham-Chaf!el Hill, NC 19.02% 

Richmond, VA 18.19% 

Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV 24.14% 

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 26.98% -

San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 38.17% 

Seattle-Tacoma, WA 24.24% 

St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL "--·- 15.83% 

Tucson-Nogales, AZ 15.66% 

Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, OC-MD-VA-WV-PA 27.10% 

Rest of U.S. 15.06% 

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