The Office of Congressional Relations works closely with members of Congress and their staffs. The office informs Commissioners and FTC staff of Capitol Hill issues and policies and helps provide information on legislation of interest to the Commission. It also coordinates the preparation of both Congressional testimony and responses to Congressional inquiries concerning FTC policies and programs.

The Office of Public Affairs provides information to the public through the media. It issues news releases on all significant Commission actions, responds to reporters' inquiries and arranges television, radio, and print interviews for FTC officials. OPA issues a Weekly Calendar of Commission events and a Weekly Summary of press releases.

The General Counsel is the FTC's chief legal officer and adviser. The Office's major functions are representing the Commission in court and providing legal counsel to the Commission, operating bureaus, and other offices. The Office also handles all requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Secretary is the Commission's "court clerk"; responsible for implementing the Commission's voting procedures, creating official records of its decisions, receiving and serving Commission orders and other official documents, and coordinating the preparation of responses to congressional constituent inquiries.

The Executive Director is the FTC's chief operating officer and manager, responsible for such matters as administrative services, financial managmenet, procurement, human resources management, information and technology management, as well as overall FTC program and policy execution. The Executive Director directs the agency's reauthorization and appropriations efforts, and works closely with the bureaus on strategic planning and assessing the management and resource implications of any proposed action.

The Office of Inspector General acts as the "agency cop" and as such is responsible for the detection and prevention of waste, fraud and abuse in agency programs. The Inspector General conducts audits and investigates allegations of wrongdoing within the agency. Persons aware of any staff misconduct are encouraged to call the Office of Inspector General at 202-326-2800.

The Office of Consumer and Competition Advocacy oversees the advocacy program, through which the agency shares its consumer and competition expertise, when requested, with other government and self-regulatory entities concerning the possible effects of their proposed actions on consumers and competition. It coordinates the efforts of the bureaus and regional offices in preparing testimony, comments, and amicus curiae briefs for presentation to federal, state, local, and self-regulatory agencies, legislative bodies, and courts. These submissions advocate policies that will enhance both competition and consumer choice. At the request of lawmakers or agency officials, comments are often provided to assist legislatures' consideration of pending bills or to assist agency rulemaking proceedings.