18 U.S.C. § 117 — Domestic assault by an habitual offender

The source credit indicates that this section was added by Public Law 109–162, title IX, § 909, enacted January 5, 2006, and published at 119 Stat. 3084. The credit further shows that the section was subsequently amended once, by Public Law 113–104, § 3, enacted May 20, 2014, and published at 128 Stat. 1156. Beyond these citations, the source credit does not detail the substance of the 2014 amendment or any other legislative changes. Public Law 109–162 is commonly identified as the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005. Statutes enacted under this title are generally understood to have addressed gaps in federal law concerning domestic violence, particularly in jurisdictions—such as Indian country and areas under special maritime and territorial jurisdiction—where state domestic violence enforcement mechanisms do not apply. The creation of a federal offense targeting repeat domestic violence offenders is consistent with a broader legislative pattern, during this era, of establishing enhanced penalties for habitual offenders in cases of intimate-partner and family violence. However, the record as supplied does not establish the specific legislative intent behind § 909 or the particular problem Congress sought to address in creating this offense, nor does it document the purpose of the 2014 amendment. Any more specific claims about drafters' motivations, committee deliberations, or the provision's legislative history would go beyond what the source credit and general historical understanding support.