119-s1351

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1351 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1351

 To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a 
study to evaluate the activities of sister city partnerships operating 
 within the United States, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 April 8, 2025

 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign 
 Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a 
study to evaluate the activities of sister city partnerships operating 
 within the United States, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Sister City Transparency Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
 ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
 Senate;
        (B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
 Pensions of the Senate;
            (C) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
            (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
 of Representatives;
        (E) the Committee on Education and the Workforce of 
 the House of Representatives; and
        (F) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
 Representatives.

    (2) Foreign community.--The term ``foreign community'' 
 means any subnational unit of government outside of the United 
 States.

    (3) Sister city partnership.--The term ``sister city 
 partnership'' means a formal agreement between a United States 
 community and a foreign community that--
        (A) is recognized by Sister Cities International; 
 and
        (B) is operating within the United States.

    (4) United states community.--The term ``United States 
 community'' means a State, county, city, or other unit of local 
 government in the United States.

SEC. 3. STUDY OF SISTER CITY PARTNERSHIPS OPERATING WITHIN THE UNITED 
 STATES INVOLVING FOREIGN COMMUNITIES IN COUNTRIES WITH 
 SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC SECTOR CORRUPTION.

    (a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study of the activities of sister city partnerships involving 
foreign communities in countries receiving a score of 45 or less on 
Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index.

    (b) Elements of the Study.--The study conducted under subsection

    (a) shall--

    (1) identify--
        (A) the criteria by which foreign communities 
 identify United States communities as candidates for 
 sister city partnerships, including themes with respect 
 to the prominent economic activities and demographics 
 of such United States communities;
        (B) the activities conducted within sister city 
 partnerships;
            (C) the economic and educational outcomes of such 
 activities;
            (D) the types of information that sister city 
 partnerships make publicly available, including 
 information relating to contracts and activities;
        (E) the means by which United States communities 
 safeguard freedom of expression within sister city 
 partnerships; and
        (F) the oversight practices that United States 
 communities implement to mitigate the risks of foreign 
 espionage and economic coercion within sister city 
 partnerships;

    (2) assess--
        (A) the extent to which United States communities 
 ensure transparency regarding sister city partnership 
 contracts and activities;
        (B) the extent to which sister city partnerships 
 involve economic arrangements that make United States 
 communities vulnerable to malign market practices;
            (C) the extent to which sister city partnerships 
 involve educational arrangements that diminish the 
 freedom of expression;
            (D) the extent to which sister city partnerships 
 allow foreign nationals to access local commercial, 
 educational, and political institutions;
        (E) the extent to which foreign communities could 
 use sister city partnerships to realize strategic 
 objectives that are not conducive to the economic and 
 national security interests of the United States;
        (F) the extent to which sister city partnerships 
 could enable or otherwise contribute to foreign 
 communities' malign activities globally, including 
 activities relating to human rights abuses and academic 
 and industrial espionage; and
        (G) the extent to which United States communities 
 seek to mitigate foreign nationals' potentially 
 inappropriate use of visa programs to participate in 
 activities relating to sister city partnerships; and

    (3) review--
        (A) the range of activities conducted within sister 
 city partnerships, including activities relating to 
 cultural exchange and economic development;
        (B) how such activities differ between sister city 
 partnerships; and
            (C) best practices to ensure transparency regarding 
 sister city partnerships' agreements, activities, and 
 employees.
            (c) Report.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 9 months after initiating 
 the study required under subsection

    (a) , the Comptroller 
 General shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional 
 committees that contains the results of such study, including 
 the findings, conclusions, and recommendations (if any) of the 
 study.

    (2) Form.--The report required under paragraph

    (1) may 
 include a classified annex, if necessary.
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