Sister City Transparency Act This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to study the activities of sister city partnerships involving foreign communities in countries that received a score of 45 or less on Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index. A sister city partnership is a formal agreement between a U.S. community and a foreign community that is recognized by Sister Cities International and that is operating within the United States. Among other elements, the required study must (1) identify oversight practices that U.S communities implement to mitigate the risks of foreign espionage and economic coercion within sister city partnerships, (2) assess the extent to which U.S. communities ensure transparency regarding sister city partnership contracts and activities, and (3) review the range of activities conducted within sister city partnerships.
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Timeline
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
International Affairs
Congressional oversightCultural exchanges and relationsEconomic performance and conditionsEspionage and treasonGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment studies and investigationsRule of law and government transparencySovereignty, recognition, national governance and statusSubversive activitiesTrade secrets and economic espionageUrban and suburban affairs and developmentVisas and passports
Sister City Transparency Act
USA116th CongressS-4899| Senate
| Updated: 11/16/2020
Sister City Transparency Act This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to study the activities of sister city partnerships involving foreign communities in countries that received a score of 45 or less on Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index. A sister city partnership is a formal agreement between a U.S. community and a foreign community that is recognized by Sister Cities International and that is operating within the United States. Among other elements, the required study must (1) identify oversight practices that U.S communities implement to mitigate the risks of foreign espionage and economic coercion within sister city partnerships, (2) assess the extent to which U.S. communities ensure transparency regarding sister city partnership contracts and activities, and (3) review the range of activities conducted within sister city partnerships.
Congressional oversightCultural exchanges and relationsEconomic performance and conditionsEspionage and treasonGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment studies and investigationsRule of law and government transparencySovereignty, recognition, national governance and statusSubversive activitiesTrade secrets and economic espionageUrban and suburban affairs and developmentVisas and passports