The Texas House unanimously passed a bill to void NDAs in sexual abuse and trafficking cases.
The Texas House unanimously passed a bill to void NDAs in sexual abuse and trafficking cases.
The Texas House unanimously passed a bill to void NDAs in sexual abuse and trafficking cases.
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas bill aiming to protect child sex abuse survivors from nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) passed the House unanimously Tuesday.
House Bill 748, authored by State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, would make certain that NDAs in cases of sexual abuse and trafficking would be void. The Texas House passed the bill, also known as Trey’s Law, with a 149-0 vote. The bill is named after Trey Carlock, a Highland Park man who died by suicide after trauma related to sexual abuse, according to the New York Times.
“When it comes to sexual abuse and assault, you either stand with victims or you stand with their abusers. Period. There is no middle ground. Today, with a unanimous 149–0 vote in support of Trey’s Law, the Texas House of Representatives made our position clear: We stand firmly with victims,” Rep. Leach said. “I look forward to the Texas Senate taking up and passing this bill and the Governor signing it and making Trey’s Law the law of our land very soon.”
Last month, Cindy Clemishire, the Oklahoma woman who accused Gateway Church founding pastor Robert Morris of sexually abusing her starting when she was 12 in the ‘80s, leading to his indictment, testified before a Texas House committee about the alleged abuse.
During that testimony, Clemishire, through tears, detailed the emotional challenges she has faced since the abuse and how her refusal to sign an NDA has allowed her to hold Morris accountable.
After her testimony, the bill unanimously passed the committee.
Leach said the bill is designed to prevent nondisclosure agreements from being “weaponized to hide the truth.” Now, it makes its way to the Texas Senate.
