Providing higher wage area pay for certain Bureau of Prisons employees

Section 5343 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (h) (1) In this subsection— (A) the term covered pay locality — (i) means a pay locality established under section 5304 that includes the boundaries of 2 or more wage areas established under this section; and (ii) does not include the pay locality designated as Rest of the U.S.; (B) the term covered wage area means a wage area established under this section, the boundary of which is located within the boundaries of a covered pay locality; (C) the term nearest other wage area means a wage area, a boundary of which is located within the boundaries of a nearest other pay locality established under section 5304(i); and (D) the term Rest of U.S. wage area means a wage area located in the pay locality designated as Rest of the U.S.. (2) (A) A prevailing rate employee of the Bureau of Prisons employed in a Rest of U.S. wage area shall be paid at the higher wage schedule and rate of the nearest other wage area established under this paragraph and the wage area of the employee. (B) For purposes of carrying out subparagraph (A), if the nearest other pay locality established under section 5304(i) contains the boundaries of 2 or more wage areas established under this section— (i) the employee shall be paid at the wage schedule and rate for employees at the nearest other Bureau of Prisons facility within 200 miles of the nearest boundary of the nearest other pay locality established under section 5304(i); and (ii) if there is no Bureau of Prisons facility in the nearest other pay locality established under section 5304(i), the employee shall be paid at the wage schedule and rate for the nearest other wage area that the Bureau of Prisons determines is most similar in population, employment, manpower, and industry to the wage area of the employee, as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this subsection. (3) A prevailing rate employee of the Bureau of Prisons employed in a covered wage area shall be paid at the highest applicable wage schedule and rate for any wage area located in the covered pay locality..