[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 211 (Monday, November 2, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 58659-58660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29190]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
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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. 63, No. 211 / Monday, November 2, 1998 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 58659]]
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
5 CFR Part 532
RIN 3206-AI48
Prevailing Rate Systems; Lead Agency Responsibility
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed
rule that would change the lead agency responsibility for certain
Federal Wage System (FWS) appropriated fund wage areas from the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the Department of Defense (DOD).
A lead agency under the FWS is the Federal agency designated by OPM to
conduct local wage surveys and establish wage schedules for FWS
employees according to local prevailing rates within a wage area. There
are currently 133 FWS appropriated fund wage areas. DOD is currently
the lead agency in 110 wage areas, and VA is the lead agency in 23 wage
areas. VA has requested that OPM designate DOD as the lead agency in
all of the wage areas where VA currently has lead agency
responsibility. This change would make DOD the lead agency in all FWS
wage areas and is proposed because it would make more efficient use of
the resources devoted by agencies to determining FWS pay rates.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 2, 1998.
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, or FAX: (202) 606-4264.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark A. Allen at (202) 606-2848, or
email: maallen@opm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 5 U.S.C. 5343(a)(2), the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM) is responsible for designating lead agencies
in Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. Lead agencies are responsible
for conducting surveys of private sector employers to establish wage
schedules for FWS employees based on local prevailing rates. The
Department of Defense (DOD) is the lead agency in 110 FWS wage areas,
and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the lead agency in 23
FWS wage areas. VA is currently the lead agency in the New Haven-
Hartford, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida;
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Cedar Rapids-Iowa City,
Iowa; Des Moines, Iowa; Augusta, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts;
Southwestern Michigan; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; New York, New
York; Rochester, New York; Asheville, North Carolina; Charlotte, North
Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Southwestern Oregon;
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Eastern Tennessee; Houston-Galveston-Texas
City, Texas; Roanoke, Virginia; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, FWS wage
areas.
VA has requested that OPM designate DOD as the lead agency in the
wage areas where VA is currently designated as the lead agency. Since
the establishment of the FWS in 1972, VA has played a key role in the
administration of the pay program for FWS employees. However, for the
past few years, VA has experienced reductions in overall employment in
the human resources management areas both in field and headquarters
activities. At the headquarters level, two out of three experienced
specialists assigned to oversee FWS wage surveys are no longer
available to work in that area because of retirements and
reassignments. VA believes that a consolidation of the FWS survey
function within one agency would be more efficient and would provide a
consistency in the survey process that would strengthen the FWS program
nationwide. DOD has expressed its willingness and indicated its ability
to assume lead agency responsibility in the wage areas where VA is
currently assigned lead agency responsibility.
This proposed change was reviewed by the Federal Prevailing Rate
Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the national labor-management committee
responsible for advising OPM on matters that affect the pay of FWS
employees. The Committee recommended approval of the change by majority
vote. The management members of FPRAC proposed this change because
diminishing staff resources within VA headquarters have made it very
difficult for VA to accomplish its wage survey work in an effective
manner, and DOD has expressed its ability and willingness to assume
lead agency responsibility in all FWS wage areas. All Committee members
voted for the proposal except for the National Federation of Federal
Employees, which abstained. The remaining labor members of FPRAC
supported the proposed change with reservations, stating that although
no reasonable alternative exists, they are concerned about the
placement of Governmentwide FWS wage determinations within a single
agency.
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.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.
Accordingly, the 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. Appendix A to subpart B is amended for the New Haven-Hartford,
Connecticut; Miami, Florida; Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida; Champaign-
Urbana, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, Iowa; Des
Moines, Iowa; Augusta, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; Southwestern
Michigan; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; New York, New York;
Rochester, New York; Asheville, North Carolina; Charlotte, North
[[Page 58660]]
Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Southwestern Oregon;
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Eastern Tennessee; Houston-Galveston-Texas
City, Texas; Roanoke, Virginia; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wage areas by
revising the lead agency listings for those areas from ``VA'' to
``DOD''.
[FR Doc. 98-29190 Filed 10-30-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-P
