(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 con-
ducted under subsection (a) shall— 
(1) identify— 
(A) the criteria by which foreign commu-
nities 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; 
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(C) the economic and educational outcomes 
of such activities; 
(D) the types of information that sister 
city partnerships make publicly available, in-
cluding 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 coer-
cion within sister city partnerships; 
(2) assess— 
(A) the extent to which United States com-
munities ensure transparency regarding sister 
city partnership contracts and activities; 
(B) the extent to which sister city partner-
ships involve economic arrangements that make 
United States communities vulnerable to malign 
market practices; 
(C) the extent to which sister city partner-
ships involve educational arrangements that di-
minish the freedom of expression; 
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(D) the extent to which sister city partner-
ships allow foreign nationals to access local 
commercial, educational, and political institu-
tions; 
(E) the extent to which foreign commu-
nities could use sister city partnerships to real-
ize strategic objectives that do not conduce to 
the economic and national security interests of 
the United States; 
(F) the extent to which sister city partner-
ships 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 com-
munities seek to mitigate foreign nationals’ po-
tentially 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 re-
lating to cultural exchange and economic devel-
opment; 
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(B) how such activities differ between sis-
ter 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 6 months 
after initiating the study required under subsection 
(a), the Comptroller General shall submit a report to 
the appropriate congressional committees that con-
tains the results of such study, including the find-
ings, conclusions, and recommendations (if any) of 
the study. 
(2) FORM.—The report required under para-
graph (1) may include a classified annex, if nec-
essary. 
Æ 
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