To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to Congress studies on workforce housing, housing for persons who are elderly or disabled, proximity of housing to Superfund sites, and residential heirs property.

SA 4307. Mr. THUNE (for Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself and
Ms. Warren)) proposed an amendment to amendment SA 4308 proposed by Mr.
Scott of South Carolina (for himself and Ms. Warren) to the bill H.R.
6644, a bill to increase the supply of housing in America, and for
other purposes; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. GAO STUDIES.

(a) Workforce Housing Study.--
(1) Middle-income household defined.--In this subsection,
the term ``middle income household'' means a household with
an income above 80-percent but that does not exceed 120-
percent of the median family income of the area, as
determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
with adjustments for smaller and larger families.
(2) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study and submit to Congress a report
that--
(A) identifies obstacles middle-income households face when
looking to secure affordable housing;
(B) identifies geographic areas where housing is the most
unaffordable and unavailable for middle-income households;
(C) includes a list of Federal housing programs, including
Federal tax credits, grants, and loan programs, that are not
available to middle-income households due to their income
status, including Federal housing programs designed to
promote affordability;
(D) recommends income and other parameters to establish a
clear and consistent Federal definition for the term
``workforce housing'' for use when describing the segment of
housing that could be made available to those middle-income
households in Federal housing programs if funding
commensurate with the additional eligibility were to be made
available; and
(E) analyzes how to modify or newly develop new Federal
housing programs and incentives to include ``workforce
housing'' if funding commensurate with the additional
eligibility were to be made available.
(b) Housing for Elderly or Disabled.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller
General of the United States shall carry out a study and
submit to Congress a report that identifies options to remove
barriers and improve housing for persons who are elderly or
disabled, including any potential impacts of providing
capital advances for--
(1) the program for supportive housing for the elderly
under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C.
1701q); and

[[Page S806]]

(2) the program for supportive housing for persons with
disabilities under section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzalez
National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013).
(c) Proximity of Housing to Superfund Sites.--Not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall carry out a
study and submit to Congress a report that identifies how
many residential dwelling units, and how many dwelling units
that are a part of public housing (as defined in section 3(b)
of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
1437a(b))), are located less than 1 mile from a site that is
included on the National Priorities List established pursuant
to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9605).
(d) Residential Heirs Property.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller
General of the United States shall carry out a study and
submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services
of the House of Representatives a report that--
(1) establishes a comprehensive definition of residential
heirs property, or family land inherited without a will or
legal documentation of ownership;
(2) examines the occurrence of and consequences to owners
of residential heirs property, and provides an estimate
regarding the number of current residential heirs properties;
(3) describes the objectives and requirements of the
Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act as approved by the
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in
2010;
(4) details the various resources that may be available to
the owners of residential heirs properties, including housing
counseling, legal services, and financial assistance to
resolve residential heirs property title issues from the
Federal Government, nonprofit organizations, and institutions
of higher education; and
(5) makes recommendations with respect to how to reduce the
number of residential heirs properties, including--
(A) by incentivizing States and other jurisdictions which
enact or adopt the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act or
similar such reforms;
(B) by awarding grants to States and other jurisdictions to
assist residents of those States and jurisdictions to
establish and document property ownership rights or settle a
decedent's estate;
(C) by awarding grants to entities that--
(i) provide housing counseling, legal assistance, and
financial assistance to homeowners and their heirs relating
to title clearing and home retention efforts of heirs'
property; and
(ii) target services to low- and moderate-income persons or
provide services in neighborhoods that have a high
concentration of low- and moderate-income persons; and
(D) by conducting other activities that assist individuals
to clear title with respect to heirs' property and with
general estate planning.
______