Bill · S. 1351· Senate(119-S-1351)
Sister City Transparency Act
- Introduced
- 4/8/2025
- Last activity
- 4/8/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Sponsored by
- Marsha Blackburn
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Sister City Transparency Act directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on sister city partnerships operating within the United States. This study specifically targets partnerships involving foreign communities in countries that received a score of 45 or less on Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index. The investigation will look into the criteria used to select United States communities, the types of activities conducted, and their economic and educational outcomes. Additionally, the study will evaluate transparency, oversight practices, and potential risks regarding espionage, economic coercion, and freedom of expression. The Comptroller General must submit a report containing findings and recommendations to appropriate congressional committees within nine months of starting the study.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+5
The bill promotes transparency by mandating a study on the oversight and public availability of information in sister city partnerships.
Does this protect the individual right to speak freely?+4
The study specifically assesses how educational arrangements within these partnerships might diminish freedom of expression.
Does this give the federal government more power?+3
The bill expands federal oversight of local community partnerships through the Comptroller General.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Oversight of Economic and Security Risks: The study aims to assess the extent to which partnerships involve economic arrangements that make United States communities vulnerable to malign market practices or realize strategic objectives not conducive to national security interests (Section 3(b)(2)(B) and (E)).
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Protection of Freedom of Expression: The study seeks to examine how United States communities safeguard freedom of expression within these partnerships and whether educational arrangements diminish that freedom (Section 3(b)(1)(E) and (2)(C)).
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Mitigation of Espionage and Coercion: The study will look into oversight practices used to mitigate risks of foreign espionage and economic coercion, as well as the potential for industrial espionage (Section 3(b)(1)(F) and (2)(F)).
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Transparency of Information: The study will identify what information regarding contracts and activities is made publicly available, helping to assess how transparent these partnerships actually are (Section 3(b)(1)(D) and (2)(A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are explicitly detailed in the text provided.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5Improves Freedom Of Speech+4Increases Federal Power+3
- 4/8/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Thomas TillisRepublican · North Carolina