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Rules and Regulations Federal Register

62229 

Vol. 70, No. 209 

Monday, October 31, 2005 

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL 

MANAGEMENT 

5 CFR Part 532 

RIN 3206–AK96 

Prevailing Rate Systems; Change in 

the Survey Cycle for the Harrison, MS, 

Nonappropriated Fund Federal Wage 

System Wage Area 

AGENCY: Office of Personnel 

Management. 

ACTION: Interim rule. 

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel 

Management is issuing an interim rule 

to change the timing of local wage 

surveys in the Harrison, Mississippi, 

nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal 

Wage System (FWS) wage area. The 

purpose of this change is to avoid 

conducting future surveys in this area 

during the hurricane season. 

DATES: This interim regulation is 

effective on October 31, 2005. The 

Office of Personnel Management must 

receive comments by November 30, 

2005. 

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments 

to Donald J. Winstead, Deputy Associate 

Director for Pay and Performance 

Policy, Strategic Human Resources 

Policy Division, Office of Personnel 

Management, Room 7H31, 1900 E 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20415– 

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

4264. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606–2838; email pay-performance-policy@opm.gov; 

or FAX: (202) 606–4264. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 

past, full-scale wage surveys in the 

Harrison, Mississippi, nonappropriated 

fund (NAF) Federal Wage System (FWS) 

wage area were conducted in October of 

each even-numbered fiscal year. These 

interim regulations provide that fullscale wage surveys will begin in March 

of each even-numbered fiscal year, 

starting with March 2006. With this 

change, it will no longer be necessary to 

conduct wage surveys in the Harrison 

NAF wage area during the hurricane 

season. 

Harrison County, MS, is the sole 

survey county in the Harrison NAF 

wage area. Because Hurricane Katrina 

caused substantial damage to Federal 

and private sector establishments in 

Harrison County, moving the Harrison 

full-scale survey cycle from October to 

March would allow private sector 

establishments to recover from the 

effects of Hurricane Katrina and thus 

provide wage data that best represent 

the prevailing rates paid by businesses 

in the area. Under 5 CFR 532.207, the 

scheduling of wage surveys takes into 

consideration the best timing in relation 

to wage adjustments in the principal 

local private enterprise establishments, 

reasonable distribution of workload of 

the lead agency, the timing of surveys 

for nearby or selected wage areas, and 

scheduling relationships with other pay 

surveys. 

Under the interim regulations, the 

Department of Defense (DOD) will 

conduct a wage change survey for the 

Harrison wage area in October 2005 

instead of a full-scale survey. DOD will 

conduct a full-scale wage survey in 

March 2006 and a wage change survey 

in March 2007 and will continue the 2- 

year alternating March cycle. 

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory 

Committee (FPRAC), the national labormanagement committee responsible for 

advising the Office of Personnel 

Management (OPM) on matters 

concerning the pay of FWS employees, 

recommended by consensus that we 

change the full-scale survey cycle for 

the Harrison NAF wage area from 

October of each even-numbered fiscal 

year to March of each even-numbered 

fiscal year. 

Waiver of Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking and Delay in Effective Date 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) and 

(d)(3), I find that good cause exists to 

waive the general notice of proposed 

rulemaking. Also pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3), I find that good cause exists 

for making this rule effective in less 

than 30 days. This notice is being 

waived and the regulation is being made 

effective in less than 30 days because 

Hurricane Katrina caused substantial 

economic disruption in the Gulf Coast 

region affecting the Government’s 

ability to determine prevailing rates for 

employees of nonappropriated fund 

Federal activities in Harrison County. 

This change is needed to relieve DOD 

from the need to conduct a full-scale 

wage survey in Harrison County in 

October 2005. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

I certify that these regulations will 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. 

Office of Personnel Management. 

Linda M. Springer, 

Director. 

■ Accordingly, the Office of Personnel 

Management is amending 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. 

Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 532— 

Nationwide Schedule of 

Nonappropriated Fund Regular Wage 

Surveys—[Amended] 

■ 2. Appendix B to subpart B is 

amended by revising, under the heading 

for the State of Mississippi, the listing 

of beginning month of survey from 

‘‘October’’ to ‘‘March’’ for the Harrison 

NAF wage area. 

[FR Doc. 05–21638 Filed 10–28–05; 8:45 am] 

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