[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2000]
[Pages 434-440]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT INVESTMENT BOARD

1250 H Street NW., Washington, DC 20005

Phone, 202-942-1600. Fax, 202-942-1676. Internet, www.tsp.gov.
Chairman                                          James H. Atkins
Members                                           Thomas A. Fink, Scott 
                                                          B. Lukins, 
                                                          Sheryl R. 
                                                          Marshall, 
                                                          Jerome A. 
                                                          Stricker
Officials:                                          

Executive Director                                Roger W. Mehle
General Counsel                                   Elizabeth S. Woodruff
Director of Accounting                            David L. Black
Director of Administration                        Strat D. Valakis
Director of Automated Systems                     Lawrence E. Stiffler
Director of Benefits and Investments              James B. Petrick
Director of Communications                        Veda R. Charrow
Director of External Affairs                      Thomas J. Trabucco

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The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board administers the Thrift 
Savings Plan, which provides Federal employees the opportunity to save 
for additional retirement security.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board was established as an 
independent agency by the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 
1986 (5 U.S.C. 8472). The act vests responsibility for the agency in six 
named fiduciaries: the five Board members and the Executive Director. 
The five members of the Board, one of whom is designated as Chairman, 
are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate 
and serve on the Board on a part-time basis. The members appoint the 
Executive Director, who is responsible for the management of the agency 
and the Plan.

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Activities

The Thrift Savings Plan is a tax-deferred, defined contribution plan 
that was established as one of the three parts of the Federal Employees' 
Retirement System. For employees covered under the System, savings 
accumulated through the Plan make an important addition to the 
retirement benefits provided by Social Security and the System's Basic 
Annuity. Civil Service Retirement System employees may also take 
advantage of the Plan to supplement their annuities.
    The Board operates the Thrift Savings Planand manages the 
investments of the Thrift Savings Fund solely for the benefit of 
participants and their beneficiaries. As part of these responsibilities, 
the Board maintains an account for each Plan participant, makes 
loans,purchases annuity contracts, and provides for the payment of 
benefits.

For further information, contact the Director of External Affairs, 
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, 1250 H Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20005. Phone, 202-942-1640. Internet, www.tsp.gov.

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FEDERALTRADECOMMISSION

600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580

Phone, 202-326-2222. Internet, www.ftc.gov.
Chairman                                          Robert Pitofsky
    Executive Assistant                           James C. Hamill
Commissioners                                     Sheila F. Anthony, 
                                                          Thomas B. 
                                                          Leary, Orson 
                                                          Swindle, 
                                                          Mozelle W. 
                                                          Thompson
Executive Director                                Rosemarie A. Straight
    Deputy Executive Director                     Judith Bailey
    Chief Information Officer                     Richard G. Turner
    Chief Financial Officer                       Henry Hoffman
Director, Bureau of Competition                   Richard G. Parker
    Senior Deputy Director                        Molly S. Boast
    Deputy Director                               Willard K. Tom
Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection           Jodie Bernstein
    Deputy Directors                              Lydia B. Parnes
                                                  Teresa Moran Schwartz
Director, Bureau of Economics                     Jeremy I. Bulow
General Counsel                                   Debra A. Valentine
    Deputy General Counsel                        John D. Graubert
Director, Office of Congressional Relations       David R. Thomas
Director, Office of Public Affairs                (vacancy)
Director, Office of Policy Planning               Susan S. DeSanti
Secretary of the Commission                       Donald S. Clark
Chief Administrative Law Judge                    James P. Timony
Inspector General                                 Frederick J. Zirkel

[For the Federal Trade Commission statement of organization, see the 
        Code of Federal Regulations, Title 16, Part 0]

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The objective of the Federal Trade Commission is to maintain competitive 
enterprise as the keystone of the American economic system, and to 
prevent the free enterprise system from being fettered by monopoly or 
restraints on trade or corrupted by unfair

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or deceptive trade practices. The Commission is charged with keeping 
competition both free and fair.

The Federal Trade Commission was established in 1914 by the Federal 
Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41-58). The Commission is composed of 
five members appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of 
the Senate, for a term of 7 years. Not more than three of the 
Commissioners may be members of the same political party. One 
Commissioner is designated by the President as Chairman of the 
Commission and is responsible for its administrative management.

Activities

The Commission's principal functions are to:
    --promote competition through the prevention of general trade 
restraints such as price-fixing agreements, boycotts, illegal 
combinations of competitors, and other unfair methods of competition;
    --stop corporate mergers, acquisitions, or joint ventures that 
substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly;
    --prevent pricing discrimination, exclusive dealing, tying 
arrangements, and discrimination among competing customers by sellers;
    --prevent interlocking directorates or officers' positions that may 
restrain competition;
    --prevent the dissemination of false or deceptive advertisements of 
consumer productsand services as well as other unfair or deceptive 
practices;
    --promote electronic commerce by stopping fraud on the Internet and 
working with other domestic and foreign agencies to develop and promote 
policies to safeguard online privacy of personal information;
    --stop various fraudulent telemarketing schemes and protect 
consumersfrom abusive and deceptive telephone tactics;
    --ensure truthful labeling of textile, wool, and fur products;
    --require creditors to disclose in writing certain cost information, 
such as the annual percentage rate, before consumers enter into credit 
transactions, as required by the Truth in Lending Act;
    --protect consumers against circulation of inaccurate or obsolete 
credit reports and ensure that credit bureaus, consumer reporting 
agencies, credit grantors, and bill collectors exercise their 
responsibilities in a manner that is fair and equitable;
    --educate consumers and businesses about their rights and 
responsibilities under FTC rules and regulations; and
    --gather factual data concerning economic and business conditions 
and make it available to the Congress, the President, and the public.
Antitrust  One of the two major missions of the Commission is to 
encourage competitive forces in the American economy. The Commission 
seeks to prevent unfair practices that undermine competition and 
attempts to prevent mergers of companies if the result may be to lessen 
competition. Under some circumstances, companies planning to merge must 
first give notice to the Commission and the Department of Justice's 
Antitrust Division and provide certain information concerning the 
operations of the companies involved.
    The Commission also enforces the provisions of the Robinson-Patman 
Act, a part of the Clayton Act prohibiting companies from discriminating 
among other companies that are its customers in terms of price or other 
services provided.
Consumer Protection  Consumer protection is the second of the two main 
missions of the Commission. The Commission works to:
    --increase the usefulness of advertising by ensuring that it is 
truthful and not misleading;
    --reduce instances of fraudulent, deceptive, or unfair marketing 
practices;
    --prevent creditors from using unlawful practices when granting 
credit, maintaining credit information, collecting debts, and operating 
credit systems; and


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T186873.044

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    --educate the public about Commission activities.
    The Commission initiates investigations in areas of concern to 
consumers. It has issued and enforces many trade regulation rules 
important to consumers, including health and nutrition claims in 
advertising; environmental advertising and labeling; general advertising 
issues; health care, telemarketing and electronic commerce, business 
opportunity, and franchise and investment fraud; mortgage lending and 
discrimination; enforcement of Commission orders; and enforcement of 
credit statutes and trade regulation rules.
Competition and Consumer Advocacy  To promote competition, consumer 
protection, and the efficient allocation of resources, the Commission's 
ongoing program advocates consumer interest in a competitive marketplace 
by encouraging courts, legislatures, and government administrative 
bodies to consider efficiency and consumer welfare as important elements 
in their deliberations. The Commission uses these opportunities to 
support procompetitive means of regulating the Nation's economy, 
including the elimination of anticompetitive restrictions that reduce 
the welfare of consumers and the implementation of regulatory programs 
that protect the public and preserve as much as possible the discipline 
of competitive markets. The competition and consumer advocacy program 
relies on persuasion rather than coercion.
Compliance Activities  Through systematic and continuous review, the 
Commission obtains and maintains compliance with its cease-and-desist 
orders. All respondents against whom such orders have been issued are 
required to file reports with the Commission to substantiate their 
compliance. In the event compliance is not obtained, or if the order is 
subsequently violated, civil penalty proceedings may be instituted.
Cooperative Procedures  In carrying out the statutory directive to 
prevent unfair methods of competition or unfair or deceptive practices, 
the Commission makes extensive use of voluntary and cooperative 
procedures. Through these procedures, business and industry may obtain 
authoritative guidance and a substantial measure of certainty as to what 
they may do under the laws administered by the Commission.
    The Commission issues administrative interpretations in plain 
language of laws administered by the Commission. Guides provide the 
basis for voluntary abandonment of unlawful practices by members of a 
particular industry or by an industry in general. Failure to comply with 
the guides may result in corrective action by the Commission under 
applicable statutory provisions.
Enforcement  The Commission's law enforcement work falls into two 
general categories: actions to foster voluntary compliance with the law, 
and formal administrative or Federal court litigation leading to 
mandatory orders against offenders.
    For the most part, compliance with the law is obtained through 
voluntary and cooperative action by private companies in response to 
nonbinding staff advice, formal advisory opinions by the Commission, and 
guides and policy statements delineating legal requirements as to 
particular business practices.
    Formal litigation is instituted either by issuing an administrative 
complaint or by filing a Federal district court complaint charging a 
person, partnership, or corporation with violating one or more of the 
statutes administered by the Commission. If the charges in an 
administrative matter are not contested or if the charges are found to 
be true after an administrative hearing in a contested case, an order 
may be issued requiring discontinuance of the unlawful practices.
Investigations  Investigations by the Commission may originate through 
complaint by a consumer or a competitor, the Congress, or from Federal, 
State, or municipal agencies. Also, the Commission itself may initiate 
an investigation into possible violations of the laws it administers. No 
formality is required in submitting a complaint. A letter giving the 
facts in detail, accompanied by all supporting evidence

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in possession of the complaining party, is sufficient. It is the general 
policy of the Commission not to disclose the identity of any 
complainant, except as required by law or Commission rules.
    Upon receipt of a complaint, various criteria are applied in 
determining whether the particular matter should be investigated.
    An order issued after an administrative proceeding that requires the 
respondent to cease and desist or take other corrective action may be 
appealed. Appeals processes may go as far as the Supreme Court.
    In addition to or in lieu of the administrative proceeding initiated 
by a formal complaint, the Commission may request that a U.S. district 
court issue a preliminary or permanent injunction to halt the use of 
allegedly unfair or deceptive practices, to prevent an anticompetitive 
merger or unfair methods of competition from taking place, or to prevent 
violations of any statute enforced by the Commission.
Reports  The Commission prepares studies of conditions and problems 
affecting the marketplace. Such reports may be used to inform 
legislative proposals in response to requests of the Congress and 
statutory directions, or for the information and guidance of the 
Commission, the executive branch of the Government, and the public. Such 
reports have provided the basis for significant legislation and have 
also led to voluntary changes in the conduct of business, with resulting 
benefits to the public.

                                   Regional Offices--Federal Trade Commission
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Region                                     Address                              Director
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Central (DC, DE, MD, MI, OH, PA,   Suite 200, 111 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH    John Mendenhall
 VA, WV)                                 44114
Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MN, MO,    Suite 1860, 55 Monroe St., Chicago, IL 60603-  C. Steven Baker
 ND, NE, SD, WI)                         5701
Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI,  Suite 1300, 150 William St., New York, NY      Barbara Anthony
 VT)                                     10038
Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)      Suite 2896, 915 2d Ave., Seattle, WA 98174     Charles A. Harwood
Southeast (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN)  Suite 5M35, 60 Forsyth St., SW., Atlanta, GA   Andrea Foster
                                         30303
Southwest (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX)          Suite 2150, 1999 Bryan St., Dallas, TX 75201-  Thomas B. Carter
                                         0101
Western (AZ, CA, CO, HI, NV, UT)        Suite 700, 10877 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles,  Jeffrey A. Klurfeld
                                         CA 90024
                                        Suite 570, 901 Market St., San Francisco, CA
                                         94103
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Sources of Information

Contracts and Procurement  Persons seeking to do business with the 
Federal Trade Commission should contact the Assistant CFO for 
Acquisitions, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580. Phone, 
202-326-2258. Fax, 202-326-3529. Internet, www.ftc.gov/ftc/procurement/
procure.htm.
Employment  Civil service registers are used in filling positions for 
economists, accountants, investigators, and other professional, 
administrative, and clerical personnel. The Federal Trade Commission 
employs a sizable number of attorneys under the excepted appointment 
procedure. All employment inquiries should be directed to the Director 
of Human Resources Management, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 
20580. Phone, 202-326-2021. Fax, 202-326-2328.
General Inquiries  Persons desiring information on consumer protection 
or restraint of trade questions, or to register a complaint, should 
contact the Federal Trade Commission (phone, 202-326-2222 or 877-382-
4357 (toll free)) or the nearest regional office.
Publications  Consumer and business education publications of the 
Commission are available through the Consumer Response Center, Federal 
Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580. Phone, 202-382-4357 (FTC-HELP) 
or 877-382-4357 (toll free). TTY, 202-326-2502. Internet, www.ftc.gov.

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For further information, contact the Office of Public Affairs, Federal 
Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580. 
Phone, 202-326-2180. Fax, 202-326-3676. Internet, www.ftc.gov.

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