[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 5, Volume 1] [Revised as of January 1, 2002] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 5CFR591.212] [Page 675-678] TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL CHAPTER I--OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT PART 591--ALLOWANCES AND DIFFERENTIALS--Table of Contents Subpart B--Cost-of-Living Allowance and Post Differential--Nonforeign Areas Sec. 591.212 COLA Partnership Pilot Project. (a) Purpose and duration of COLA Partnership Pilot Project. The COLA Partnership Pilot Project is designed to assess the efficacy of a plan to increase agency and employee involvement in the allowance program. The [[Page 676]] pilot project shall be in effect for a period not to exceed 2 years from November 21, 1996. (b) Purpose and establishment of committees. To assist OPM in reviewing and improving the allowance program and to help OPM, affected agencies, and their employees better understand issues relating to the compensation of Federal employees in the allowance areas, OPM may establish one or more COLA partnership committees in the allowance areas and in the Washington, DC, area. Committees established under this section function at the discretion of OPM and may be disestablished at any time. A committee may represent agencies and employees in more than one allowance area and will meet from time to time as requested by OPM. (c) Composition of committees. Each committee shall be composed of one or more representatives of Federal agencies and labor organizations. All committee members shall be current full-time Federal employees performing official business of the Federal Government and will serve at their agencies' and OPM's discretion. All non-OPM committee members shall be from the area represented by the committee. The representatives shall be selected as follows: (1) Agency representatives. (i) OPM will identify the largest agencies (in terms of allowance recipients) in the area represented by the committee. For the Washington, DC, area committee, if established, OPM will identify the largest agencies in terms of allowance recipients in all of the allowance areas. OPM will invite up to four agencies each to designate a representative to serve on the committee. In areas where a Federal Executive Association (FEA) or Federal Executive Board (FEB) is located, OPM will invite the FEA or FEB to nominate an FEA or FEB member employed by an agency not otherwise represented on the committee, and OPM will select the nominee in consultation with the nominee's employing agency. In areas where there is no FEA or FEB, or where an FEA or EB declines to participate, OPM will invite one additional agency selected from among the other agencies in each committee area to designate a representative to serve on the committee on a 1-year rotational basis. To select this agency, OPM will use sampling with probability proportional to the size of the agency. If mutually agreeable among the agencies, they may select representatives using other means and may rotate committee positions among agencies on other than a 1-year rotational basis. (ii) OPM will appoint one or more of its employees to serve on each COLA partnership committee. (2) Employee representatives. OPM will identify the largest labor organizations (in terms of allowance recipients) in the area represented by the committee. For the Washington, DC, area committee, if established, OPM will identify the largest labor organizations in terms of allowance recipients in all of the allowance areas. OPM will invite up to four labor organizations each to nominate a representative to serve on the committee. OPM will further invite one additional labor organization selected from among the other labor organizations in each committee area to nominate a representative to serve on the committee on a 1-year rotational basis. To select this labor organization, OPM will use sampling with probability proportional to the size of the labor organization. If mutually agreeable among the labor organizations, they may nominate representatives using other means and may rotate committee positions among labor organizations on other than a 1-year rotational basis. OPM will select committee members from among the nominees in consulation with the nominees' employing agencies. (3) Postal Service. No committee shall have a representative from the United States Postal Service (USPS) unless USPS labor organizations have the opportunity to participate as provided by paragraph (g) of this section. No committee shall have more than one employee representative from USPS labor organizations. (4) Other members. In consultation with the committee members, OPM may invite other current full-time Federal employees to serve on the committees. OPM will coordinate such invitations with the employing agencies. [[Page 677]] (d) Functions of committees. COLA partnership committees may-- (1) Advise and assist OPM in planning living-cost surveys; (2) Provide or arrange for observers for data collection during living-cost surveys; (3) Advise and assist OPM in the review of survey data; (4) Advise OPM on its administration of the COLA program, including survey methodology and other issues relating to the compensation of Federal employees in the allowance areas; and (5) Assist OPM in the dissemination of information to affected employees about the living-cost surveys and the COLA program. (e) Data collection observers. In consultation with the committees, OPM will determine the number of observers required to accompany OPM officials during the collection of living-cost data. All observers shall be from the local area and shall be full-time Federal employees performing official business of the Federal Government. The committees will nominate observers, and OPM will select from among these nominations in consultation with the nominees' employing agencies. (f) Subcommittees. In consultation with the committees, OPM may establish one or more subcommittees to advise the committee on issues relating to the allowance areas and survey areas within the geographic area represented by the committee. If such subcommittees are established, they shall be composed of up to two agency representatives and two employee representatives from the local area, as well as one or more OPM representatives. OPM may, in consultation with the committee and subcommittee, invite additional Federal employees to serve on the subcommittee. Subcommittee agency and employee representatives shall be nominated and appointed in the same manner as committee members. All subcommittee members shall be current full-time Federal employees performing official business of the Federal Government. (g) Agency release of employees for committee/subcommittee activities. Employers shall cooperate and release nominated employees for committee/subcommittee proceedings and activities unless the employers can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances directly related to the accomplishment of the work units' missions require their presence on their regular jobs. Employees serving as committee or subcommittee members are considered to be on official assignment to an interagency function, rather than on leave. [61 FR 59177, Nov. 21, 1996] Appendix A of Subpart B--Places and Rates at Which Allowances Shall Be Paid This appendix lists the places approved for a cost-of-living allowance and shows the authorized allowance rate for each. The allowance percentage rate shown is paid as a percentage of an employee's rate of basic pay. The rates are subject to change based on the results of future surveys. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Allowance Geographic coverage Rate (percent) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ State of Alaska: City of Anchorage and 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius by 25.00 road.................................................. City of Fairbanks and 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius by 25.00 road.................................................. City of Juneau and 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius by 25.00 road.................................................. Rest of the State...................................... 25.00 State of Hawaii: City and County of Honolulu............................ 25.00 County of Hawaii....................................... 16.50 County of Kauai........................................ 23.25 County of Maui and County of Kalawao................... 23.75 Territory of Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 25.00 Islands................................................... Commonwealth of Puerto Rico................................ 11.50 U.S. Virgin Islands........................................ 22.50 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [[Page 678]] [66 FR 56752, Nov. 9, 2001] Appendix B of Subpart B--Places and Rates At Which Differentials Shall Be Paid This appendix lists the places where a post differential has been approved and shows the differential rate to be paid to eligible employees. The differential percentage rate shown is paid as a percentage of an employee's rate of basic pay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Percentage Geographic coverage differential rate ------------------------------------------------------------------------ American Samoa (including the island of Tutuila, the Manua 25.0 Islands, and all other islands of the Samoa group east of longitude 171 deg. west of Greenwich, together with Swains Island)........................................... Johnston Island and Sand Island........................... 25.0 Midway Islands............................................ 25.0 Territory of Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 20.0 Islands.................................................. Wake Island............................................... 25.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [59 FR 53726, Oct. 26, 1994]