# Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of Certain Appropriated Fund Federal Wage System Wage Areas
**AGENCY:**
U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
**ACTION:**
Final rule.
**SUMMARY:**
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to redefine the geographic boundaries of several appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas for pay-setting purposes. Based on reviews of Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) boundaries in a number of wage areas, OPM is redefining the following wage areas: Washington, DC; Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; Detroit, MI; Jackson, MS; Meridian, MS; and Cleveland, OH.
**DATES:**
Effective February 5, 2020.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Madeline Gonzalez, by telephone at (202) 606-2858 or by email at *[email protected]* .
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
On August 14, 2019, OPM issued a proposed rule (84 FR 40297) to redefine the following counties:
• Madison County, VA, from the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD, area of application to the Washington, DC, area of application;
• Ottawa County, OH, from the Cleveland, OH, area of application to the Detroit, MI, area of application;
• Covington County, MS, from the Jackson, MS, area of application to the Meridian, MS, area of application.
The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the national labor-management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, reviewed and recommended these changes by consensus.
The 30-day comment period ended on September 13, 2019. OPM received two comments requesting OPM consider revising the definition of the Seattle-Everett-Tacoma, WA, FWS wage area. OPM must receive the advice of FPRAC before making any changes to wage area boundaries. The comments are therefore beyond the scope of the proposed rule.
**Regulatory Impact Analysis**
This action is not a “significant regulatory action” under the terms of Executive Order (E.O.) 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and is therefore not subject to review under E.O. 12866 and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 2011).
**Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs**
This rule is not an Executive Order 13771 regulatory action because this rule is not significant under E.O. 12866.
**Regulatory Flexibility Act**
OPM certifies that this rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they will affect only Federal agencies and employees.
**Federalism**
We have examined this rule in accordance with Executive Order 13132, Federalism, and have determined that this rule will not have any negative impact on the rights, roles and responsibilities of State, local, or tribal governments.
**Civil Justice Reform**
This regulation meets the applicable standard set forth in Executive Order 12988.
**Unfunded Mandates Act of 1995**
This rule will not result in the expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 million or more in any year and it will not significantly or uniquely affect small governments. Therefore, no actions were deemed necessary under the provisions of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.
**Congressional Review Act**
This action pertains to agency management, personnel, and organization and does not substantially affect the rights or obligations of nonagency parties and, accordingly, is not a “rule” as that term is used by the Congressional Review Act (Subtitle E of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA)). Therefore, the reporting requirement of 5 U.S.C. 801 does not apply.
**Paperwork Reduction Act**
This rule does not impose any new reporting or record-keeping requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.
**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.
Alexys Stanley,
Regulatory Affairs Analyst.
Accordingly, OPM is amending 5 CFR part 532 as follows:
**PART 532—PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS**
**5 CFR Part 532**
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.
**5 CFR Part 532**
2. In Appendix C to subpart B amend the table by revising the wage area listings for the District of Columbia and the States of Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, and Ohio to read as follows:
**Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532—Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas**
**Definitions of Wage Areas and Wage Area Survey Areas**
**DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA**
**Washington, DC**
**Survey Area**
District of Columbia:
Washington, DC
Maryland:
Charles
Frederick
Montgomery
Prince George's
Virginia (cities):
Alexandria
Fairfax
Falls Church
Manassas
Manassas Park
Virginia (counties):
Arlington
Fairfax
Loudoun
Prince William
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Maryland:
Calvert
St. Mary's
Virginia (city):
Fredericksburg
Virginia (counties):
Clarke
Culpeper
Fauquier
King George
Madison
Rappahannock
Spotsylvania
Stafford
Warren
West Virginia:
Jefferson
**MARYLAND**
**Baltimore**
**Survey Area**
Maryland (city):
Baltimore
Maryland (counties):
Anne Arundel
Baltimore
Carroll
Harford
Howard
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Maryland:
Queen Anne's
**Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg**
**Survey Area**
Maryland:
Washington
Pennsylvania:
Franklin
West Virginia:
Berkeley
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Maryland:
Allegany
Garrett
Pennsylvania:
Fulton
Virginia (cities):
Harrisonburg
Winchester
Virginia (counties):
Frederick
Page
Rockingham
Shenandoah
West Virginia:
Hampshire
Hardy
Mineral
Morgan
**MICHIGAN**
**Detroit**
**Survey Area**
Michigan:
Lapeer
Livingston
Macomb
Oakland
St. Clair
Wayne
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Michigan:
Arenac
Bay
Clare
Clinton
Eaton
Genesee
Gladwin
Gratiot
Huron
Ingham
Isabella
Lenawee
Midland
Monroe
Saginaw
Sanilac
Shiawassee
Tuscola
Washtenaw
Ohio:
Fulton
Lucas
Ottawa
Wood
**Northwestern Michigan**
**Survey Area**
Michigan:
Delta
Dickinson
Marquette
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Michigan:
Alcona
Alger
Alpena
Antrim
Baraga
Benzie
Charlevoix
Cheboygan
Chippewa
Crawford
Emmet
Gogebic
Grand Traverse
Houghton
Iosco
Iron
Kalkaska
Keweenaw
Leelanau
Luce
Mackinac
Manistee
Menominee
Missaukee
Montmorency
Ogemaw
Ontonagon
Oscoda
Otsego
Presque Isle
Roscommon
Schoolcraft
Wexford
**Southwestern Michigan**
**Survey Area**
Michigan:
Barry
Calhoun
Kalamazoo
Van Buren
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Michigan:
Allegan
Berrien
Branch
Cass
Hillsdale
Ionia
Jackson
Kent
Lake
Mason
Mecosta
Montcalm
Muskegon
Newaygo
Oceana
Osceola
Ottawa
St. Joseph
**MISSISSIPPI**
**Biloxi**
**Survey Area**
Mississippi:
Hancock
Harrison
Jackson
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Mississippi:
George
Pearl River
Stone
**Jackson**
**Survey Area**
Mississippi:
Hinds
Rankin
Warren
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Mississippi:
Adams
Amite
Attala
Claiborne
Copiah
Franklin
Holmes
Humphreys
Issaquena
Jefferson
Jefferson Davis
Lawrence
Lincoln
Madison
Marion
Pike
Scott
Sharkey
Simpson
Smith
Walthall
Wilkinson
Yazoo
**Meridian**
**Survey Area**
Alabama:
Choctaw
Mississippi:
Forrest
Lamar
Lauderdale
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Alabama:
Sumter
Mississippi:
Clarke
Covington
Greene
Jasper
Jones
Kemper
Leake
Neshoba
Newton
Perry
Wayne
**Northern Mississippi**
**Survey Area**
Mississippi:
Clay
Grenada
Lee
Leflore
Lowndes
Monroe
Oktibbeha
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Mississippi:
Alcorn
Bolivar
Calhoun
Carroll
Chickasaw
Choctaw
Coahoma
Itawamba
Lafayette (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion)
Montgomery
Noxubee
Pontotoc (Does not include the Holly Spring National Forest portion)
Prentiss
Quitman
Sunflower
Tallahatchie
Tishomingo
Union (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion)
Washington
Webster
Winston
Yalobusha
**OHIO**
**Cincinnati**
**Survey Area**
Indiana:
Dearborn
Kentucky:
Boone
Campbell
Kenton
Ohio:
Clermont
Hamilton
Warren
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Indiana:
Franklin
Ohio
Ripley
Switzerland
Union
Kentucky:
Bracken
Carroll
Gallatin
Grant
Mason
Pendleton
Ohio:
Adams
Brown
Butler
Highland
**Cleveland**
**Survey Area**
Ohio:
Cuyahoga
Geauga
Lake
Medina
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Ohio:
Ashland
Ashtabula
Carroll
Columbiana
Erie
Huron
Lorain
Mahoning
Portage
Sandusky
Seneca
Stark
Summit
Trumbull
Wayne
Pennsylvania:
Mercer
**Columbus**
**Survey Area**
Ohio:
Delaware
Fairfield
Franklin
Licking
Madison
Pickaway
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Ohio:
Coshocton
Crawford
Fayette
Guernsey
Hancock
Hardin
Hocking
Holmes
Knox
Marion
Morrow
Muskingum
Perry
Richland
Ross
Union
Wyandot
**Dayton**
**Survey Area**
Ohio:
Champaign
Clark
Greene
Miami
Montgomery
Preble
*Area of Application. Survey area plus:*
Indiana:
Randolph
Wayne
Ohio:
Auglaize
Clinton
Darke
Logan
Shelby