[Federal Register: November 4, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 213)] [Rules and Regulations] [Page 60087-60088] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr04no99-1] ======================================================================== Rules and Regulations Federal Register ________________________________________________________________________ This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510. The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each week. ======================================================================== [[Page 60087]] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 5 CFR Part 532 RIN 3206-AI90 Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of the Dubuque, IA Appropriated Fund Wage Area AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim rule that will remove the requirement that a full-scale wage survey be conducted in the Dubuque, Iowa, Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area. It will also abolish the Dubuque, IA, FWS wage area and redefine the counties of Clinton, Dubuque, and Jackson, IA, and Carroll, Jo Daviess, and Whiteside, Illinois, to the area of application of the Davenport- Rock Island-Moline, IA, FWS wage area. The interim rule is necessary because of the pending closure of the Dubuque wage area's host installation, the Savannah Army Depot, which is no longer capable of hosting annual wage surveys. DATES: Effective date: This interim rule is effective on October 31, 1999. Applicability date: Employees in the Dubuque wage area will be transferred to the Davenport wage area on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after December 19, 1999. Comments must be received by December 6, 1999. ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Assistant Director for Compensation Administration, Workforce Compensation and Performance Service, Office of Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200, or FAX: (202) 606-4264. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Hopkins by phone at (202) 606-2848, by FAX at (202) 606-0824, or by email at jdhopkin@opm.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Because of the pending closure of the Savannah Army Depot, the Department of Defense (DOD) has requested that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) abolish the requirement to conduct a full-scale wage survey in the Dubuque wage area. DOD has also requested that OPM abolish the Dubuque wage area and redefine its counties to the Davenport, IA, FWS wage area. The Dubuque wage area is presently composed of six survey counties: Clinton, Dubuque, and Jackson, IA, and Carroll, Jo Daviess, and Whiteside, IL. The Dubuque wage area's host installation, the Savannah Army Depot, is preparing to close in March 2000. This closure will leave the lead agency, DOD, without an installation in the survey area capable of hosting annual local wage surveys. A full-scale wage survey is scheduled to begin in the Dubuque wage area in October 1999. Since the host installation is preparing to close and is downsizing its operations, it no longer has the capacity to host the annual local full-scale wage survey. Under section 5343 of title 5, United States Code, OPM is responsible for defining wage areas and follows regulatory criteria under section 532.211 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations. Under the regulatory criteria, OPM considers the following factors when defining wage areas: (i) Distance, transportation facilities, and geographical features; (ii) Commuting patterns; and (iii) Similarities in overall population, employment, and the kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments. Based on an analysis of these regulatory criteria, OPM is defining the Dubuque wage area to the area of application of the Davenport wage area. The closest major Federal installation to the Savannah Army Depot is the Rock Island Arsenal in the Davenport survey area, which is approximately 113 km (70 miles) away. Transportation facilities, geographic features, and commuting patterns do not favor one wage area more than another. A review of overall population, employment, and kinds and sizes of private industrial establishment shows that the Dubuque wage area has a population and workforce that most closely resemble the population and workforce of the Davenport survey area. The Dubuque survey area is similar to the Davenport survey area in terms of the distribution of employment in surveyable industries, with a high proportion of employment in the manufacturing sector. The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the national labor- management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, reviewed these recommendations and by consensus recommended approval of these changes. Waiver of Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Pursuant to section 553(b)(3)(B) of title 5, United States Code, I find good cause exists for waiving 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. The notice is being waived and the regulation is being made effective in less than 30 days because the Dubuque wage survey would otherwise be ordered in October 1999 and preparations for the wage survey must begin immediately. Regulatory Flexibility Act I certify that these regulations will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they will 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. Janice R. Lachance 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; Sec. 532.707 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552. [[Page 60088]] Appendix A to Subpart B--[Amended] 2. Appendix A to subpart B of part 532 is amended for the State of Iowa by removing the entry for Dubuque. 3. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by removing the wage area listing for Dubuque, Iowa, and revising the Davenport-Rock Island- Moline, IA, listing to read as follows: Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas * * * * * Iowa * * * * * Davenport-Rock Island-Moline Survey Area Iowa: Scott Illinois: Henry Rock Island Area of Application. Survey Area Plus Iowa: Clinton Des Moines Dubuque Jackson Lee Louisa Muscatine Illinois: Adams Brown Bureau Carroll Cass Fulton Hancock Henderson Jo Daviess Knox McDonough Marshall Mason Mercer Peoria Putnam Schuyler Stark Tazewell Warren Whiteside Woodford [FR Doc. 99-28875 Filed 11-3-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6325-01-P