Expressing the sense of Congress that expert testimony concerning the nature and effect of domestic violence, including descriptions of the experiences of battered women, should be admissible when offered in a State court by a defendant in a criminal case.

Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) expert testimony concerning the nature and effect of domestic violence should be admissible when offered in a State court by a defendant in a criminal case to assist the trier of fact in understanding the defendant in a domestic relationship in which abuse has occurred; (2) a witness should be qualified and permitted to testify as an expert witness in the form of an opinion; and (3) a domestic relationship about which such expert testimony should be admissible includes relationships between present or former spouses, cohabitants, and partners or between persons who are or have been in a dating courtship or intimate relationship.