GAO STUDIES.

SEC. 804. 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 (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 home-owners 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.