[Federal Register: July 10, 1995 (Volume 60, Number 131)] [Rules and Regulations] [Page 35467-35468] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr10jy95-1] ======================================================================== 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 35467]] OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 5 CFR Part 532 RIN 3206-AG82 Prevailing Rate Systems; Abolishment of Marquette, MI, Nonappropriated Fund Wage Area AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing interim regulations to abolish the Marquette, MI, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area and add Dickinson County, MI, and Marquette County, MI, as areas of application to the Lake, IL, NAF wage area for pay-setting purposes. No employee's wage rate will be reduced as a result of this change. DATES: This interim rule becomes effective on July 10, 1995. Comments must be received by August 9, 1995. Employees paid rates from the Marquette, MI, NAF wage schedule will continue to be paid from that schedule until their conversion to the Lake, IL, NAF wage schedule on October 21, 1995, the normal effective date for new Marquette area wage schedules. ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Assistant Director for Compensation Policy, Human Resources Systems Service, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Room 6H31, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Shields, (202) 606-2848. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Defense recommended to the Office of Personnel Management that the Marquette, MI, NAF wage area be abolished and that Dickinson County, MI, and Marquette County, MI, be added as areas of application to the Lake, IL, NAF wage area. With the scheduled 1995 closing of the host installation, K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base (AFB), there will no longer be a local activity with the capability to do the Marquette, MI, survey. There will, however, still be about five NAF employees in Dickinson County and possibly a few NAF employees in Marquette County. The remaining three Marquette wage area application counties, Chippewa and Houghton Counties, MI, and Langlade County, WI, have no NAF FWS employees. The provisions of 5 CFR 532.219 list the following criteria for consideration when two or more counties are to be combined to constitute a single wage area: (1) Proximity of largest activity in each county; (2) Transportation facilities and commuting patterns; and (3) Similarities of the counties in: (i) Overall population; (ii) Private employment in major industry categories; and (iii) Kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments. These criteria are discussed in turn below. Of the largest nearby activities with NAF employees, K.I. Sawyer AFB, Marquette County, MI, is closest to Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Lake County, IL. More distant are the 934th TAG MN/St. Paul International Airport and Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Distances from K.I. Sawyer AFB to the host activities of the surrounding wage areas are as follows: Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Lake County, IL, 561 km (349 miles); 934th TAG MN/St. Paul International Airport, Hennepin County, MN, 697 km (433 miles); and Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Macomb County, MI, 786 km (488 miles). The duty station of the NAF employees in Dickinson County, MI--the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center--is also closer to Lake County, IL, than the other nearby NAF wage areas. Considering transportation facilities from Marquette and Dickinson Counties, MI, the largest installations in the three surrounding survey areas can all be reached by primary undivided roads and Interstate highways. An analysis of 1990 census commuting patterns data indicates that no workers commute between either Marquette County, MI, or Dickinson County, MI, and any of the three survey counties under consideration. In terms of similarities of the counties in overall population, private employment, and kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments, Marquette and Dickinson Counties are most similar to Lake County. In summary, consideration of the three criteria (proximity, transportation facilities and commuting patterns, and similarities of the counties) favors the definition of Dickinson and Marquette Counties, MI, as areas of application to the Lake, IL, NAF wage area. The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee reviewed this recommendation and by consensus recommended approval. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), I find that good cause exists for waiving the general notice of proposed rulemaking. Also, pursuant to section 553(d)(3) of title 5, United States Code, 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 preparations for the August 1995 Marquette, MI, NAF wage area survey must otherwise 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 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 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 35468]] Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 532 [Amended] 2. In Appendix B to subpart B, the listing for the State of Michigan is amended by removing the entry for Marquette. 3. Appendix D to subpart B is amended by removing the wage area list for Marquette, Michigan, and by revising the list for Lake, Illinois, to read as follows: Appendix D to Subpart B of Part 532--Nonappropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas * * * * * Illinois * * * * * Lake Survey area Illinois: Lake Area of application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Cook Michigan: Dickinson (Effective date October 21, 1995) Marquette (Effective date October 21, 1995) Wisconsin: Dane Milwaukee * * * * * [FR Doc. 95-16815 Filed 7-7-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6325-01-M