SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Defense (DOD) has requested that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) change the timing of local wage surveys in the Pennington, South Dakota, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area. Full-scale wage surveys currently begin in January of each even-numbered fiscal year. Full-scale wage surveys would begin in the future in June of each even-numbered fiscal year. Under section 532.207 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, the scheduling of wage surveys takes into consideration the best timing in relation to wage adjustments in the principal local private enterprise establishments, reasonable distribution of workload of the lead agency, timing of surveys for nearby wage areas, and scheduling relationships with other pay surveys.

DOD asked OPM to change the starting time for local wage surveys in the Pennington wage area to June of even fiscal years to help avoid the problems created by inclement weather in western South Dakota during the month of January and to balance the overall workload of its NAF survey office. DOD would conduct its regular wage-change survey in January 2001, then it would conduct full-scale wage surveys in Pennington County in June 2001 and June 2002.

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the national labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, recommended by consensus that we change the full-scale survey cycle for the Pennington NAF wage area from January of even-numbered fiscal years to June of even-numbered fiscal years.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

I certify that this regulation would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because it would affect only Federal agencies and employees.

Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management proposes to amend 5 CFR part 532 as follows:

65 FR 79320