[Federal Register: December 8, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 236)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 74374-74376]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08de08-8]
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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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[[Page 74374]]
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 532
RIN 3206-AL76
Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Little Rock, AR,
Southern Missouri, and Tulsa, OK, Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System
Wage Areas
AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed
rule that would redefine the geographic boundaries of the Little Rock,
AR, Southern Missouri, and Tulsa, OK, appropriated fund Federal Wage
System (FWS) wage areas. The proposed rule would redefine Crawford and
Sebastian Counties, AR, from the Little Rock wage area to the Tulsa
wage area and Madison County, AR, and McDonald County, MO, from the
Southern Missouri wage area to the Tulsa 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 Little Rock, Southern Missouri, and Tulsa FWS wage areas.
DATES: We must receive comments on or before January 7, 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-
performance-policy@opm.gov; or FAX: (202) 606-4264.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madeline Gonzalez, (202) 606-2838; e-
mail pay-performance-policy@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 Little Rock, AR,
Southern Missouri, and Tulsa, OK, appropriated fund Federal Wage System
(FWS) wage areas. This proposed rule would redefine Crawford and
Sebastian Counties, AR, from the Little Rock wage area to the Tulsa
wage area and Madison County, AR, and McDonald County, MO, from the
Southern Missouri wage area to the Tulsa 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.
OPM recently completed reviews of the definitions of the
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO and Fort Smith, AR-OK
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and, based on analyses of the
regulatory criteria for defining wage areas, is proposing the changes
described below. The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee
(FPRAC), the national labor-management committee responsible for
advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees,
recommended these changes by consensus. FPRAC recommended no other
changes in the geographic definitions of the Little Rock, Southern
Missouri, and Tulsa wage areas. The affected employees in Crawford,
Madison, and Sebastian Counties, AR, and McDonald County, MO, would be
placed on the wage schedule for the Tulsa wage area on the first day of
the first applicable pay period beginning on or after 30 days following
publication of the final regulations.
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO MSA: Benton, Madison, and
Washington Counties, AR, and McDonald County, MO, comprise the
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO MSA. The Fayetteville-Springdale-
Rogers MSA is split between the Little Rock, AR, Southern Missouri, and
Tulsa, OK, wage areas. Madison County is part of the area of
application of the Little Rock wage area, McDonald County is part of
the area of application of the Southern Missouri wage area, and Benton
and Washington Counties are part of the area of application of the
Tulsa wage area.
Based on an analysis of the regulatory criteria for Washington
County, the location of the main population center in the Fayetteville-
Springdale-Rogers MSA, we recommend that the entire Fayetteville-
Springdale-Rogers MSA be defined to the Tulsa wage area. The distance
criterion for Washington County favors the Tulsa wage area more than
Little Rock or Southern Missouri wage areas. All other criteria are
inconclusive. We believe our regulatory analysis findings indicate that
Washington County is appropriately defined to the Tulsa 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA. To
comply with OPM regulations not to split MSAs, Madison and McDonald
Counties would be redefined to the Tulsa wage area. The remaining
county in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA, Benton County, is
already defined to the Tulsa wage area.
Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA: Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties,
AR, and Le Flore and Sequoyah Counties, OK, comprise the Fort Smith,
AR-OK MSA. The Fort Smith MSA is split between the Little Rock, AR,
wage area and the Tulsa, OK, wage area. Crawford, Franklin, and
Sebastian Counties are part of the area of application of the Little
Rock wage area, and Le Flore and Sequoyah Counties are part of the area
of application of the Tulsa wage area.
Based on an analysis of the regulatory wage area criteria in 5 CFR
532.211, we recommend that Crawford and Sebastian Counties be redefined
to the Tulsa area of application. The distance criterion favors the
Tulsa wage area more than the Little Rock wage area. All other criteria
are inconclusive. Based on the mixed nature of our regulatory analysis
findings, there is no clear indication that Crawford or Sebastian
Counties should be placed in a different FWS wage area. However, since
OPM regulations at 5 CFR 532.211 permit splitting MSAs only in very
unusual circumstances (e.g., organizational relationships among closely
located Federal activities) and the Fort Smith
[[Page 74375]]
MSA is adjacent to the Tulsa survey area but not adjacent to the Little
Rock survey area, we recommend that Crawford and Sebastian Counties be
redefined to the Tulsa wage area.
Based on an analysis of the regulatory wage area criteria, we
recommend that Franklin County remain part of the Little Rock area of
application. When measuring from cities, the distance criterion favors
the Little Rock wage area. When measuring from host installations, the
distance criterion favors the Tulsa wage area. All other criteria are
inconclusive. Based on our regulatory analysis findings, there is no
clear indication that Franklin County should be placed in a different
FWS wage area. In addition, the western part of the Ozark National
Forest is located in portions of Crawford and Franklin Counties. There
are no FWS employees working in Crawford County, but there are nine FWS
Forest Service employees working in Franklin County. OPM regulations at
5 CFR 532.211 permit splitting MSAs in unusual circumstances. Since
there are FWS Forest Service employees working at Ozark National Forest
locations in closely located counties, we recommend that Franklin
County remain defined to the Little Rock wage area. This would continue
to provide equal pay treatment for FWS employees with employment
locations in the Forest.
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.
Michael W. Hager,
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; Sec. 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 Arkansas is amended by revising the listing for Little Rock; for the
State of Missouri, by revising the listing for Southern Missouri, and
for the State of Oklahoma, by revising the listing for Tulsa, to read
as follows:
Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey
Areas
* * * * *
Arkansas
Little Rock
Survey Area
Arkansas:
Jefferson
Pulaski
Saline
Area of Application. Survey area plus:
Arkansas:
Arkansas
Ashley
Baxter
Boone
Bradley
Calhoun
Chicot
Clay
Clark
Cleburne
Cleveland
Conway
Dallas
Desha
Drew
Faulkner
Franklin
Fulton
Garland
Grant
Greene
Hot Spring
Independence
Izard
Jackson
Johnson
Lawrence
Lincoln
Logan
Lonoke
Marion
Monroe
Montgomery
Newton
Ouachita
Perry
Phillips
Pike
Polk
Pope
Prairie
Randolph
Scott
Searcy
Sharp
Stone
Union
Van Buren
White
Woodruff
Yell
* * * * *
Missouri
* * * * *
Southern Missouri
Survey Area
Missouri:
Christian
Greene
Laclede
Phelps
Pulaski
Webster
Area of Application. Survey area plus:
Missouri:
Barry
Barton
Benton
Bollinger
Butler
Camden
Cape Girardeau
Carter
Cedar
Dade
Dallas
Dent
Douglas
Hickory
Howell
Iron
Jasper
Lawrence
Madison
Maries
Miller
Mississippi
Moniteau
Morgan
New Madrid
Newton
Oregon
Ozark
Perry
Polk
Reynolds
Ripley
St. Clair
Scott
Shannon
Stoddard
Stone
Taney
Texas
Vernon
Wayne
Wright
Kansas:
Cherokee
Crawford
* * * * *
Oklahoma
* * * * *
Tulsa
Survey Area
Oklahoma:
Creek
Mayes
Muskogee
Osage
Pittsburg
Rogers
Tulsa
Wagoner
Area of Application. Survey area plus:
Oklahoma:
[[Page 74376]]
Adair
Cherokee
Choctaw
Craig
Delaware
Haskell
Kay
Latimer
Le Flore
McCurtain
McIntosh
Nowata
Okfuskee
Okmulgee
Ottawa
Pawnee
Pushmataha
Sequoyah
Washington
Arkansas:
Benton
Carroll
Crawford
Madison
Sebastian
Washington
Missouri:
McDonald
* * * * *
[FR Doc. E8-28916 Filed 12-5-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P