[Federal Register: June 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 115)]
[Rules and Regulations]               
[Page 33536]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16jn04-2]                         

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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 575

RIN 3206-AK01

 
Extended Assignment Incentives

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing final 
regulations on extended assignment incentives, which provide additional 
flexibility to assist agencies in retaining experienced, well-trained 
employees in a United States territory, possession, or commonwealth for 
longer than the employee's initial tour of duty.

DATES: The final regulations are effective on June 16, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vicki Lynn Draper by telephone at 
(202) 606-2858; by fax at (202) 606-4264; or by e-mail at 
pay-performance-policy@opm.gov.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 12, 2003, the Office of 
Personnel Management published interim regulations (68 FR 53667) to 
implement a statutory amendment that authorized the payment of extended 
assignment incentives. Section 207 of the 21st Century Department of 
Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (Pub. L. 107-273, November 2, 
2002), added a new section 5757 to chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
Code, to permit the head of an executive agency to pay an extended 
assignment incentive to certain Federal employees assigned to positions 
located in a territory or possession of the United States, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands. The 60-day comment period for the interim regulations 
ended on November 12, 2003. We received no comments from either 
agencies or individuals. Therefore, we are adopting the interim 
regulations as final, with one minor correction of a regulation 
citation at Sec.  575.513(a).

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.

E.O. 12866, Regulatory Review

    This rule has been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget 
in accordance with Executive Order 12866.

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 575

    Government employees, Wages.

Office of Personnel Management.
Kay Coles James,
Director.
    Accordingly, the interim rule amending part 575 of title 5 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations, which was published at 68 FR 53667 on 
September 12, 2003, is adopted as final with the following changes:

PART 575--RECRUITMENT AND RELOCATION BONUSES, RETENTION ALLOWANCES, 
SUPERVISORY DIFFERENTIALS, AND EXTENDED ASSIGNMENT INCENTIVES

0
1. The authority citation for part 575 is revised to read as follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 1104(a)(2), 5753, 5754, 5755, and 5757; Pub. 
L. 107-273, 116 stat. 1780; secs. 302 and 404 of the Federal 
Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (FEPCA), Pub. L. 101-509, 
104 Stat. 1462 and 1466, respectively; E.O. 12748, 3 CFR, 1992 
Comp., p. 316.

0
2. The heading for Part 575 is revised to read as above.

0
3. In Sec.  575.513, paragraph (a) is revised to read as follows:


Sec.  575.513  What are the agency's and the employee's obligations 
when an employee fails to fulfill the terms of a service agreement?

    (a) This section does not apply when an employee is involuntarily 
separated or involuntarily reassigned to a position outside the 
particular territory, possession, or commonwealth involved, as provided 
in Sec.  575.511 or when an agency unilaterally terminates a service 
agreement under Sec.  575.512.
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[FR Doc. 04-13559 Filed 6-15-04; 8:45 am]
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