[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 19, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 65245-65249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30737]



      
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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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.

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Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 243 / Tuesday, December 19, 1995 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 65245]]


OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AH27


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

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed 
rule that would redefine several Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas 
for pay-setting purposes. OPM is engaged in an ongoing project to 
review the geographic definitions of selected FWS wage areas. Based on 
recent reviews of wage and survey area boundaries in a number of wage 
areas, OPM proposes redefinitions and/or renamings affecting the 
following FWS wage areas: Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; 
Biloxi, MS; Columbus-Aberdeen, MS; Jackson, MS; Meridian, MS; Great 
Falls, MT; Pittsburgh, PA; Eastern Tennessee; Corpus Christi, TX; San 
Antonio, TX; and West Virginia.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 18, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Assistant 
Director for Compensation Policy, Human Resources Systems Service, 
Office of Personnel Management, Room 6H31, 1900 E Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20415, or FAX: (202) 606-0824.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Allen, (202) 606-2848.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM is engaged in an ongoing project to 
review the geographic definitions of selected FWS appropriated fund 
wage areas. Section 532.211 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, 
lists the following criteria for consideration when OPM defines 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.
    As part of the system-wide review of wage area boundaries, OPM is 
also considering whether the survey areas within each wage area should 
be expanded or reduced in size.
    OPM recently completed reviews of the definitions of several FWS 
wage areas and, based on analyses of the regulatory criteria for 
defining wage areas, is proposing the changes described below. The 
Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the statutory national-
level labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on 
matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, has reviewed and concurred 
by consensus with all of the changes described in this proposed rule.
    Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD: OPM proposes to remove 
Fulton County, PA, from the Pittsburgh, PA, area of application and 
redefine the county to the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD, 
area of application. An analysis of the regulatory criteria for 
defining FWS wage areas shows that, while other regulatory criteria are 
indeterminate, distance and commuting pattern criteria strongly favor 
definition of Fulton County to the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg 
wage area instead of to the Pittsburgh wage area. For example, an 
analysis of the distances between Fulton County and the Hagerstown-
Martinsburg-Chambersburg and Pittsburgh survey areas shows that Fulton 
County is about 232 km (144 miles) away from Pittsburgh, but is only 
about 37 km (23 miles) away from Chambersburg, PA, the closest of the 
three main population centers in the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-
Chambersburg survey area. Also, an analysis of the commuting patterns 
of Fulton County's resident workforce shows that about 55 percent of 
Fulton County's resident workforce commutes to work in the Hagerstown-
Martinsburg-Chambersburg survey area, and less than 1 percent of Fulton 
County's resident workforce commutes to work in the Pittsburgh survey 
area.
    This change would be effective for the next full-scale wage survey 
in the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg wage area, which is 
scheduled to begin in January 1996. There are currently no FWS 
employees stationed in Fulton County. No other changes are proposed for 
the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg wage area.
    Biloxi, MS: For the following reasons, OPM proposes that Stone 
County, MS, be removed from the Biloxi survey area: No FWS employees 
are stationed in Stone County; the county is no longer defined as part 
of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); and the wage survey data 
yield from private industrial establishments located in Stone County 
accounted for less than 1 percent of the Biloxi wage area's survey data 
during the last full-scale wage survey in the wage area.
    This change would be effective for the next full-scale wage survey 
in the Biloxi wage area, which is scheduled to begin in November 1997. 
Stone County would remain in the Biloxi area of application. No other 
changes are proposed for the Biloxi wage area.
    Columbus-Aberdeen, MS: Based on current FWS employment patterns in 
the Columbus-Aberdeen wage area, OPM proposes to add Grenada and 
Leflore Counties, MS, to the Columbus-Aberdeen survey area. Grenada and 
Leflore Counties are currently defined to the Columbus-Aberdeen area of 
application. A majority of the FWS employees currently stationed in the 
Columbus-Aberdeen wage area--about 70 percent--work in the Columbus-
Aberdeen wage area's area of application rather than its survey area. 
Grenada and Leflore Counties are located in the central and western 
portions of the Columbus-Aberdeen wage area and are the only non-
surveyed counties in the wage area with substantial FWS employment. 
With the addition of Grenada and Leflore Counties to the Columbus-
Aberdeen survey area, about 82 percent of wage area employees would be 
included within the survey area.
    This proposed survey area expansion would not create an undue 
survey burden on the lead agency for the wage area (the Department of 
Defense) and is strongly justified by the geographic distribution of 
local FWS employment. To more accurately reflect the broader geographic 
coverage of the expanded survey area, OPM proposes to rename the 
Columbus--Aberdeen wage area ``Northern Mississippi.'' These changes 

[[Page 65246]]
would be effective for the next full-scale wage survey in the wage 
area, which is scheduled to begin in February 1996. No other changes 
are proposed for this wage area.
    Jackson, MS: OPM proposes to remove Adams, Claiborne, and Jefferson 
Counties, MS, from the Jackson survey area. In 1973, the Civil Service 
Commission, based on the consensus recommendation of FPRAC, added 
Adams, Claiborne, and Jefferson Counties to the Jackson survey area. 
FPRAC recommended this change to allow the inclusion in local wage 
surveys of counties along the Mississippi River that had experienced 
recent industrial growth. Regional commuting patterns and 
transportation facilities were also cited as factors favoring expansion 
of the survey area.
    Based on current FWS employment patterns in the Jackson wage area 
and the large size of the current Jackson survey area, OPM considers it 
unnecessary to continue surveying Adams, Claiborne, and Jefferson 
Counties. Only about nine FWS employees, or less than 2 percent of the 
Jackson wage area total, are currently stationed in the three counties 
considered for removal from the survey area. The wage survey data yield 
from Adams, Claiborne, and Jefferson Counties has been relatively low 
in past surveys; only about 11 percent of the Jackson survey data 
during the last full-scale wage survey came from private industrial 
establishments located in these three counties. Also, the three 
counties considered for removal from the survey area are inconveniently 
located for survey purposes. For example, the surveyable private 
industrial establishments in Adams County are located approximately 185 
km (115 miles) away from the city of Jackson, the main population 
center and the main FWS employment location in the Jackson wage area.
    This change in the Jackson survey area would be effective for the 
next full-scale wage survey in the Jackson wage area, which is 
scheduled to begin In February 1997. As explained below for the 
Meridian, MS, wage area, OPM also proposes to remove Lamar County, MS, 
from the Jackson area of application and redefine the county to the 
Meridian survey area. No other changes are proposed for the Jackson 
wage area.
    Meridian, MS: OPM proposes to remove Lamar County, MS, from the 
Jackson, MS, area of application and redefine the county to the 
Meridian FWS survey area. An analysis of the regulatory criteria for 
defining FWS wage areas shows that, while other regulatory criteria are 
indeterminate, distance and commuting pattern criteria strongly favor 
definition of Lamar County to the Meridian wage area instead of the 
Jackson wage area. For example, an analysis of the distances between 
Lamar County and the Meridian and Jackson survey areas shows that Lamar 
County is about 179 km (111 miles) away from Jackson, but is only about 
27 km (17 miles) away from Hattiesburg, MS, the closest of the two main 
population centers in the Meridian survey area. Also, an analysis of 
the commuting patterns of Lamar County's resident workforce shows that 
about 50 percent of Lamar County's resident workforce commutes to work 
in the Meridian survey area, but less than 1 percent of Lamar County's 
resident workforce commutes to work in the Jackson survey area.
    While there are currently no FWS employees stationed in Lamar 
County, the addition of Lamar County to the Meridian survey area would 
provide a desirable increase in the number of surveyable private sector 
industrial establishments in the Meridian survey area--about 14 percent 
more than in the current Meridian survey area. Also, Lamar County is 
one of the two counties of the Hattiesburg, MS MSA. The other county of 
the Hattiesburg MSA, Forrest County, is already defined to the Meridian 
survey area.
    This change would be effective for the next full-scale wage survey 
in the Meridian wage area, which is scheduled to begin in February 
1997. No other changes are proposed for the Meridian wage area.
    Great Falls, MT: The survey area of the Great Falls wage area 
explained in 1973 with the addition of Yellowstone County, MT, and 
again expanded in 1981 with the addition of Lewis and Clark County, MT. 
Because the Great Falls survey area currently includes both the Great 
Falls, MT MSA and the Billings, MT MSA, OPM proposes to rename the wage 
area ``Montana'' to better reflect the broader geographic coverage of 
the current survey area than is suggested by the current wage area 
name.
    This change would be effective for the next full-scale wage survey 
in the wage area,which is scheduled to begin in July 1996. No other 
changes are proposed for this wage area.
    Pittsburgh, PA: Based on current FWS employment patterns in the 
Pittsburgh wage area, OPM proposes to add Butler County, PA, to the 
Pittsburgh survey area. Butler County is currently defined to the 
Pittsburgh area of application. There are currently about 170 FWS 
employees--about 8 percent of the Pittsburgh wage area total--stationed 
in Butler County. Butler County is currently a non-surveyed part of the 
Pittsburgh, PA MSA. Three of the counties of the Pittsburgh MSA 
(Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland) are currently included in the 
Pittsburgh survey area, but far fewer FWS employees are stationed in 
those three counties than in Butler County.
    This proposed survey area expansion would not create an undue 
survey burden on the lead agency for the Pittsburgh wage area (the 
Department of Veterans Affairs) and is strongly justified by the 
geographic distribution of local FWS employment. This change in the 
Pittsburgh survey area definition would be effective for the next full-
scale wage survey in the wage area, which is scheduled to begin in 
August 1997.
    Also, as explained above for the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-
Chambersburg, MD, wage area, OPM proposes to remove Fulton County, PA, 
from the Pittsburgh area of application and redefine the county to the 
Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD, area of application. No other 
changes are proposed for the Pittsburgh wage area.
    Eastern Tennessee: As explained below for the West Virginia wage 
area, OPM proposes to remove Norton city from the Eastern Tennessee 
area of application and redefine the city to the West Virginia area of 
application. No other changes are proposed for the Eastern Tennessee 
wage area.
    Corpus Christi, TX: OPM proposes to remove Brooks, Cameron, 
Hidalgo, Kenedy, Starr, and Willacy Counties, TX, from the San Antonio, 
TX, area of application and define these six counties to the Corpus 
Christi area of application. An analysis of the regulatory criteria for 
defining FWS wage areas shows that the distance criterion favors the 
definition of these counties to the Corpus Christi wage area much more 
than to the San Antonio wage area. Also, because the most favorable 
routes by road from the counties go through the present Corpus Christi 
wage area before reaching the San Antonio survey area, transportation 
facilities and geographic features criteria strongly favor the Corpus 
Christi wage more than the San Antonio wage area. Although all the 
other regulatory criteria are indeterminate, the redefinition of 
Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Kenedy, Starr, and Willacy Counties to the 
Corpus Christi area of application is strongly justified by the extent 
to which the distance, transportation facilities, and geographic 
features criteria favor the Corpus Christi wage area.
    The following agencies currently have FWS employees stationed in 
the six Texas counties proposed for redefinition 

[[Page 65247]]
to the Corpus Christi area of application: The Department of 
Agriculture; the Department of the Army; the General Services 
Administration; the Department of the Interior; the International 
Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico; and the 
Department of Justice. These changes would become effective when the 
final rule following this proposed rule becomes effective. No other 
changes are proposed for the Corpus Christi wage area.
    West Virginia: OPM proposes to remove Norton city, an independent 
Virginia city, from the Eastern Tennessee area of application and 
redefine the city to the West Virginia area of application. Although 
Norton city is currently defined to the Eastern Tennessee area of 
application, the city is completely surrounded by Wise County, which is 
defined to the West Virginia area of application. Because of their 
special geographic relationship, Wise County and North city should be 
defined to the same area of application.
    This change would be effective for the next full-scale wage survey 
in the West Virginia wage area, which is scheduled to begin in March 
1997. There are no FWS employees currently stationed in North city. No 
other changes are proposed for the West Virginia wage area.

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.

Office of Personnel Management.
Lorraine A. Green,
Deputy Director.

    Accordingly, OPM proposes 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; Sec. 532.707 also issued under 5 
U.S.C. 552.

    2. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area 
listings for Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; Biloxi, MS; 
Columbus-Aberdeen, MS; Jackson, MS; Meridian, MS; Great Falls, MT; 
Pittsburgh, PA; Eastern Tennessee; Corpus Christi, TX; San Antonio, TX; 
and West Virginia to read as follows:

Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and 
Survey Areas.

* * * * *

Maryland

* * * * *

Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg

Survey Area

Maryland:
    Washington
Pennsylvania:
    Franklin
West Virginia:
    Berkeley

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Maryland:
    Allegany
    Garrett
Pennsylvania:
    Fulton
Virginia (cities):
    Harrisonburg
    Winchester
Virginia (counties):
    Clarke
    Culpeper
    Frederick
    Greene
    Madison
    Page
    Rappahannock
    Rockingham
    Shenandoah
    Warren
West Virginia:
    Hampshire
    Hardy
    Jefferson
    Mineral
    Morgan
* * * * *

Mississippi

Biloxi

Survey Area

Mississippi:
    Hancock
    Harrison
    Jackson

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Mississippi:
    George
    Pearl River
    Stone

Jackson

Survey Area

Mississippi:
    Hinds
    Rankin
    Warren

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Mississippi:
    Adams
    Amite
    Attala
    Claiborne
    Copiah
    Covington
    Franklin
    Holmes
    Humphreys
    Issaquena
    Jefferson
    Jefferson Davis
    Lawrence
    Lincoln
    Madison
    Marion
    Pike
    Scott
    Sharkey
    Simpson
    Smith
    Walthall
    Wilkinson
    Yazoo

Meridian

Survey Area

Mississippi:
    Forrest
    Lamar
    Lauderdale
Alabama:
    Choctaw

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Mississippi:
    Clarke
    Greene
    Jasper
    Jones
    Kemper
    Leake
    Neshoba
    Newton
    Perry
    Wayne
Alabama:
    Sumter

Northern Mississippi

Survey Area

Mississippi:
    Clay
    Grenada
    Leflore
    Lee
    Lowndes
    Monroe
    Oktibbeha

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Mississippi:
    Alcorn
    Bolivar
    Calhoun
    Carroll
    Chickasaw
    Choctaw
    Coahoma
    Itawamba
    Lafayette \15\
    Montgomery
    Noxubee
    Panola
    Pontotoc \15\
    Prentiss
    Quitman
    Sunflower
    Tallahatchie
    
[[Page 65248]]

    Tishomingo
    Union \15\

    \15\ Excluding Holly Springs National Forest.
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    Washington
    Webster
    Winston
    Yalobusha
 * * * * *

Montana

Montana

Survey Area

Montana:
    Cascade
    Lewis and Clark
    Yellowstone

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Montana:
    Beaverhead
    Big Horn
    Blaine
    Broadwater
    Carbon
    Carter
    Chouteau
    Custer
    Daniels
    Dawson
    Deer Lodge
    Fallon
    Fergus
    Flathead
    Gallatin
    Garfield
    Glacier
    Golden Valley
    Granite
    Hill
    Jefferson
    Judith Basin
    Lake
    Liberty
    Lincoln
    McCone
    Madison
    Meagher
    Mineral
    Missoula
    Musselshell
    Park
    Petroleum
    Phillips
    Pondera
    Powder River
    Powell
    Prairie
    Ravalli
    Richland
    Roosevelt
    Rosebud
    Sanders
    Sheridan
    Silver Bow
    Stillwater
    Sweet Grass
    Teton
    Toole
    Treasure
    Valley
    Wheatland
    Wibaux
Wyoming:
    Big Horn
    Park
 * * * * *

Pennsylvania

* * * * *

Pittsburgh

Survey Area

Pennsylvania:
    Allegheny
    Beaver
    Butler
    Washington
    Westmoreland

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Pennsylvania:
    Armstrong
    Bedford
    Blair
    Cambria
    Cameron
    Centre
    Clarion
    Clearfield
    Clinton
    Crawford
    Elk
    Erie
    Fayette
    Forest
    Greene
    Huntingdon
    Indiana
    Jefferson
    Lawrence
    McKean
    Mercer
    Potter
    Somerset
    Venango
    Warren
Ohio:
    Belmont
    Carroll
    Harrison
    Jefferson
    Tuscarawas
West Virginia:
    Brooke
    Hancock
    Marshall
    Ohio
* * * * *

Tennessee

Eastern Tennessee

Survey Area

Tennessee:
    Carter
    Hawkins
    Sullivan
    Unicoi
    Washington
Virginia (city):
    Bristol
Virginia (counties):
    Scott
    Washington

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Tennessee:
    Cocke
    Greene
    Hancock
    Johnson
Virginia:
    Buchanan
    Grayson
    Lee
    Russell
    Smyth
    Tazewell
North Carolina:
    Alleghany
    Ashe
    Watauga
Kentucky:
    Harlan
    Letcher
* * * * *

Texas

* * * * *

Corpus Christi

Survey Area

Texas:
    Nueces
    San Patricio

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Texas:
    Aransas
    Bee
    Brooks
    Calhoun
    Cameron
    Goliad
    Hidalgo
    Jim Wells
    Kenedy
    Kleberg
    Live Oak
    Refugio
    Starr
    Victoria
    Willacy
* * * * *

San Antonio

Survey Area

Texas:
    Bexar
    Comal
    Guadalupe

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

Texas:
    Atascosa
    Bandera
    De Witt
    Dimmit
    Duval
    Edwards
    Frio
    Gillespie
    Gonzales
    Jim Hogg
    Karnes
    Kendall
    Kerr
    Kinney
    La Salle
    McMullen
    Maverick
    Medina
    Real
    Uvalde
    Val Verde
    Webb
    
[[Page 65249]]

    Wilson
    Zapata
    Zavala
* * * * *

West Virginia

West Virginia

Survey Area

West Virginia:
    Cabell
    Harrison
    Kanawha
    Marion
    Monongalia
    Putnam
    Wayne
Ohio:
    Lawrence
Kentucky:
    Boyd Greenup

Area of Application. Survey Area Plus

West Virginia:
    Barbour
    Boone
    Braxton
    Calhoun
    Clay
    Doddridge
    Fayette
    Gilmer
    Grant
    Greenbrier
    Jackson
    Lewis
    Lincoln
    Logan
    McDowell
    Mason
    Mercer
    Mingo
    Monroe
    Nicholas
    Pendleton
    Pleasants
    Pocahontas
    Preston
    Raleigh
    Randolph
    Ritchie
    Roane
    Summers
    Taylor
    Tucker
    Tyler
    Upshur
    Webster
    Wetzel
    Wirt
    Wood
    Wyoming
Ohio:
    Athens
    Gallia
    Jackson
    Meigs
    Monroe
    Morgan
    Noble
    Pike
    Scioto
    Vinton
    Washington
Kentucky:
    Carter
    Elliott
    Floyd
    Johnson
    Lawrence
    Lewis
    Magoffin
    Martin
    Pike
Virginia (city):
    Norton
Virginia (counties):
    Dickenson
    Wise
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 95-30737 Filed 12-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-M