Relates to enhancing penalties and protecting victims of crimes of domestic violence

This bill (S 3453) increases penalties for repeat domestic violence offenses by adding a 10-year lookback period for prior convictions. It creates a new "aggravated harassment in the first degree" offense specifically for individuals who commit harassment against someone they live with or are in a domestic relationship with, after a prior harassment conviction within the last decade. The bill also amends related offenses like assault, strangulation, and menacing to include stricter penalties when the perpetrator has a prior conviction for similar crimes and is part of the same household or family as the victim. These changes directly affect repeat offenders in domestic relationships, making certain offenses class E or D felonies instead of lower-level charges. The bill focuses on holding repeat domestic violence perpetrators accountable through enhanced sentencing.