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.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

9967 

Vol. 74, No. 44 

Monday, March 9, 2009 

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL 

MANAGEMENT 

5 CFR Part 532 

RIN 3206–AL81 

Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition 

of the Lake Charles-Alexandria and 

New Orleans, LA, Appropriated Fund 

Federal Wage System Wage Areas 

AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel 

Management. 

ACTION: Proposed rule with request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel 

Management is issuing a proposed rule 

that would redefine the geographic 

boundaries of the Lake CharlesAlexandria and New Orleans, LA, 

appropriated fund Federal Wage System 

(FWS) wage areas. The proposed rule 

would redefine Iberia and St. Martin 

Parishes, LA, from the New Orleans 

wage area to the Lake CharlesAlexandria wage area. These changes 

are based on recent consensus 

recommendations of the Federal 

Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee to 

best match the counties proposed for 

redefinition to a nearby FWS survey 

area. No other changes are proposed for 

the Lake Charles-Alexandria and New 

Orleans FWS wage areas. 

DATES: We must receive comments on or 

before April 8, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments 

to Charles D. Grimes III, Deputy 

Associate Director for Performance and 

Pay Systems, Strategic Human 

Resources Policy Division, U.S. Office of 

Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 

1900 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20415–8200; email pay-performancepolicy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606– 

4264. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606–2838; 

e-mail pay-performancepolicy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606– 

4264. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. 

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 

is issuing a proposed rule to redefine 

the Lake Charles-Alexandria and New 

Orleans, LA, appropriated fund Federal 

Wage System (FWS) wage areas. This 

proposed rule would redefine Iberia and 

St. Martin Parishes, LA, from the New 

Orleans wage area to the Lake CharlesAlexandria 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. 

Lafayette and St. Martin Parishes, LA, 

comprise the Lafayette, LA Metropolitan 

Statistical Area (MSA). The Lafayette 

MSA is split between the Lake CharlesAlexandria, LA, wage area and the New 

Orleans, LA, wage area. Lafayette Parish 

is part of the area of application of the 

Lake Charles-Alexandria wage area and 

St. Martin Parish is part of the area of 

application of the New Orleans wage 

area. St. Martin Parish is comprised of 

two noncontiguous parts. 

Based on an analysis of the regulatory 

criteria for Lafayette Parish, the location 

of the main population center in the 

Lafayette MSA, we recommend that the 

entire Lafayette MSA be defined to the 

Lake Charles-Alexandria wage area. The 

distance criterion for Lafayette Parish 

favors the Lake Charles-Alexandria 

wage area more than the New Orleans 

wage area. All other criteria are 

inconclusive. We believe our regulatory 

analysis findings indicate that Lafayette 

Parish is appropriately defined to the 

Lake Charles-Alexandria wage area. 

OPM regulations at 5 CFR 532.211 

permit splitting MSAs only in very 

unusual circumstances (e.g., 

organizational relationships among 

closely located Federal activities). There 

appear to be no unusual circumstances 

that would permit splitting the Lafayette 

MSA. To comply with OPM regulations 

not to split MSAs, St. Martin Parish 

would be redefined to the Lake CharlesAlexandria wage area. 

Because Iberia Parish splits St. Martin 

Parish into two noncontiguous parts, we 

recommend that Iberia Parish be 

redefined to the Lake CharlesAlexandria wage area. The distance 

criterion for Iberia Parish favors the 

Lake Charles-Alexandria wage area 

more than the New Orleans wage area. 

All other criteria are inconclusive. 

Although a standard review of 

regulatory criteria shows that most 

factors are inconclusive, distance does 

favor Lake Charles-Alexandria. Based on 

this analysis, we recommend that Iberia 

Parish be redefined to the Lake CharlesAlexandria wage area. 

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory 

Committee (FPRAC), the national labormanagement committee responsible for 

advising OPM on matters concerning 

the pay of FWS employees, 

recommended these changes by 

consensus. These changes would be 

effective on the first day of the first 

applicable pay period beginning on or 

after 30 days following publication of 

the final regulations. FPRAC 

recommended no other changes in the 

geographic definitions of the Lake 

Charles-Alexandria and New Orleans 

wage areas. 

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. 

U.S. Office of Personnel Management. 

Kathie Ann Whipple, 

Acting Director. 

Accordingly, the U.S. Office of 

Personnel Management is proposing 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; § 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 

Louisiana is amended by revising the 

listings for Lake Charles-Alexandria and 

New Orleans, to read as follows: 

Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532— 

Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey 

Areas 

* * * * * 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with PROPOSALS
9968 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 44 / Monday, March 9, 2009 / Proposed Rules 

Louisiana 

Lake Charles-Alexandria 

Survey Area 

Louisiana: 

Allen 

Beauregard 

Calcasieu 

Grant 

Rapides 

Sabine 

Vernon 

Area of Application. Survey area plus: 

Louisiana: 

Acadia 

Avoyelles 

Caldwell 

Cameron 

Catahoula 

Concordia 

Evangeline 

Franklin 

Iberia 

Jefferson Davis 

Lafayette 

La Salle 

Madison 

Natchitoches 

St. Landry 

St. Martin 

Tensas 

Vermilion 

Winn 

New Orleans 

Survey Area 

Louisiana: 

Jefferson 

Orleans 

Plaquemines 

St. Bernard 

St. Charles 

St. John the Baptist 

St. Tammany 

Area of Application. Survey area plus: 

Louisiana: 

Ascension 

Assumption 

East Baton Rouge 

East Feliciana 

Iberville 

Lafourche 

Livingston 

Pointe Coupee 

St. Helena 

St. James 

St. Mary 

Tangipahoa 

Terrebonne 

Washington 

West Baton Rouge 

West Feliciana 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. E9–4923 Filed 3–6–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6325–39–P 

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL 

MANAGEMENT 

5 CFR Part 532 

RIN 3206–AL82 

Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition 

of the Boise, ID, and Utah Appropriated 

Fund Federal Wage System Wage 

Areas 

AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel 

Management. 

ACTION: Proposed rule with request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel 

Management is issuing a proposed rule 

that would redefine the geographic 

boundaries of the Boise, ID, and Utah 

appropriated fund Federal Wage System 

(FWS) wage areas. The proposed rule 

would redefine Franklin County, ID, 

from the Boise wage area to the Utah 

wage area. These changes are based on 

recent consensus recommendations of 

the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory 

Committee to best match the counties 

proposed for redefinition to a nearby 

FWS survey area. No other changes are 

proposed for the Boise and Utah FWS 

wage areas. 

DATES: We must receive comments on or 

before April 8, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments 

to Charles D. Grimes III, Deputy 

Associate Director for Performance and 

Pay Systems, Strategic Human 

Resources Policy Division, U.S. Office of 

Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 

1900 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20415–8200; e-mail pay-performancepolicy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606– 

4264. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606–2838; 

e-mail pay-performancepolicy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606– 

4264. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. 

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 

is issuing a proposed rule to redefine 

the Boise, ID, and Utah appropriated 

fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage 

areas. This proposed rule would 

redefine Franklin County, ID, from the 

Boise wage area to the Utah 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. 

Franklin County, ID and Cache 

County, UT, comprise the Logan, UT–ID 

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). 

The Logan MSA is split between the 

Boise, ID, wage area and the Utah wage 

area. Franklin County is part of the area 

of application of the Boise wage area 

and Cache County is part of the area of 

application of the Utah wage area. 

Based on an analysis of the regulatory 

criteria for Cache County, the location of 

the main population center in the Logan 

MSA, we recommend that the entire 

Logan MSA be defined to the Utah wage 

area. The distance criterion for Cache 

County favors the Utah wage area more 

than the Boise wage area. The 

commuting patterns criterion favors the 

Utah wage area. All other criteria are 

inconclusive. We believe our regulatory 

analysis findings indicate that Cache 

County is appropriately defined to the 

Utah wage area. OPM regulations at 5 

CFR 532.211 permit splitting MSAs only 

in very unusual circumstances (e.g., 

organizational relationships among 

closely located Federal activities). There 

appear to be no unusual circumstances 

that would permit splitting the Logan 

MSA. To comply with OPM regulations 

not to split MSAs, Franklin County 

would be redefined to the Utah wage 

area. 

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory 

Committee (FPRAC), the national labormanagement committee responsible for 

advising OPM on matters concerning 

the pay of FWS employees, 

recommended these changes by 

consensus. These changes would be 

effective on the first day of the first 

applicable pay period beginning on or 

after 30 days following publication of 

the final regulations. FPRAC 

recommended no other changes in the 

geographic definitions of the Boise and 

Utah wage areas. 

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. 

U.S. Office of Personnel Management. 

Kathie Ann Whipple, 

Acting Director. 

Accordingly, the U.S. Office of 

Personnel Management is proposing to 

amend 5 CFR part 532 as follows: 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with PROPOSALS