E9-15474. Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the New Haven-Hartford and New London, CT, Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Areas

AGENCY:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to define the New Haven-Hartford and New London, CT, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas by county rather than by city and town boundaries. Defining the New England FWS wage areas by primarily considering county boundaries provides greater consistency in how OPM defines FWS wage areas and improves the ability to make direct data comparisons with Census Bureau data. The final rule defines the New Haven-Hartford wage area to include Hartford and New Haven Counties, CT, as the survey area and Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, and Tolland Counties, CT, as the area of application and the New London wage area to include New London County, CT, as the survey area and Windham County, CT, as the area of application.

DATES:

Effective Date: This regulation is effective on June 30, 2009.

Applicability date for the New Haven-Hartford, CT, wage area: This rule applies for the full-scale wage survey scheduled to begin in April 2011.

Applicability date for the New London, CT, wage area: This rule applies for the full-scale wage survey scheduled to begin in September 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Madeline Gonzalez, [phone]; e-mail [e-mail]; or FAX: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On March 24, 2009, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a proposed rule (74 FR 12280) to make the following three changes:

(1) Define the New Haven-Hartford and New London, CT, appropriated fund Federal Wage System wage areas by county rather than by city and town boundaries;

(2) Define the New Haven-Hartford wage area to include Hartford and New Haven Counties, CT, as the survey area and Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, and Tolland Counties, CT, as the area of application; and

(3) Define the New London wage area to include New London County, CT, as the survey area and Windham County, CT, as the area of application.

These changes are based on consensus recommendations of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee. The proposed rule had a 30-day comment period, during which OPM received no comments.

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

John Berry,

Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Accordingly, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management amends 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.

2. In appendix C to subpart B, the wage area listing for the State of Connecticut is amended by revising the listings for New Haven-Hartford and New London; for the State of Massachusetts, by revising the listing for Central and Western Massachusetts; and for the State of Rhode Island, by revising the listing for Narragansett Bay, to read as follows:

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

* * * * *

Connecticut

New Haven-Hartford

Survey Area

Connecticut:

Hartford

New Haven

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

Connecticut:

Fairfield

Litchfield

Middlesex

Tolland

New London

Survey Area

Connecticut:

New London

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

Connecticut:

Windham

*    *    *    *    *

Massachusetts

*    *    *    *    *

Central and Western Massachusetts

Survey Area

Massachusetts:

The following cities and towns in:

Hampden County:

Agawam

Chicopee

East Longmeadow

Feeding Hills

Hampden

Holyoke

Longmeadow

Ludlow

Monson

Palmer

Southwick

Springfield

Three Rivers

Westfield

West Springfield

Wilbraham

Hampshire County:

Easthampton

Granby

Hadley

Northampton

South Hadley

Worcester County:

Warren

West Warren

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

Massachusetts:

Berkshire

Franklin

Worcester (except Blackstone and Millville)

The following cities and towns in:

Hampshire County:

Amherst

Belchertown

Chesterfield

Cummington

Goshen

Hatfield

Huntington

Middlefield

Pelham

Plainfield

Southampton

Ware

Westhampton

Williamsburg

Worthington

Hampden County:

Blandford

Brimfield

Chester

Granville

Holland

Montgomery

Russell

Tolland

Wales

Middlesex County:

Ashby

Shirley

Townsend

New Hampshire:

Belknap

Carroll

Cheshire

Grafton

Hillsborough

Merrimack

Sullivan

Vermont:

Addison

Bennington

Caledonia

Essex

Lamoille

Orange

Orleans

Rutland

Washington

Windham

Windsor

*    *    *    *    *

Rhode Island

Narragansett Bay

Survey Area

Rhode Island:

Bristol

Newport

The following cities and towns:

Kent County:

Anthony

Coventry

East Greenwich

Greene

Warwick

West Warwick

Providence County:

Ashton

Burrillville

Central Falls

Cranston

Cumberland

Cumberland Hill

East Providence

Esmond

Forestdale

Greenville

Harrisville

Johnston

Lincoln

Manville

Mapleville

North Providence

North Smithfield

Oakland

Pascoag

Pawtucket

Providence

Saylesville

Slatersville

Smithfield

Valley Falls

Wallum Lake

Woonsocket

Washington County:

Davisville

Galilee

Lafayette

Narragansett

North Kingstown

Point Judith

Quonset Point

Saunderstown

Slocum

Massachusetts:

The following cities and towns:

Bristol County:

Attleboro

Fall River

North Attleboro

Rehoboth

Seekonk

Somerset

Swansea

Westport

Norfolk County:

Caryville

Plainville

South Bellingham

Worcester County:

Blackstone

Millville

Area of Application. Survey area plus:

Rhode Island:

The following cities and towns in:

Kent County:

West Greenwich

Providence County:

Foster

Glocester

Scituate

Washington County:

Charlestown

Exeter

Hopkinton

New Shoreham

Richmond

South Kingstown

Westerly

Massachusetts:

The following cities and towns in:

Bristol County:

Acushnet

Berkley

Dartmouth

Dighton

Fairhaven

Freetown

Mansfield

New Bedford

Norton

Raynham

Taunton

* * * * *